^ PRINCETON, N. J. ^

MEMOIR

LIFE OF THE RIGHT REVEREND

GEORGE BURGESS, D.D.,

FIRST BISHOP OF MAINE.

EDITED BY THE

REV. ALEXANDER BURGESS, D.D.,

RECTOR OF ST. JOHn's CHURCH, BROOKLYN, LONG ISLAND.

PHILADELPHIA:
CLAXTON, REMSEN, AND HAFFELFINGER,

819 AND 821 MARKET STREET.
1869.

Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1S69, by

CLAXTON, REMSEN, AND HAFFELFINGER,

in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States in and for
the Eastern District of the State of Pennsylvania.

COLLINS, PRINTER.

"Learned, judicious, saintly;
Living for Christ and the Church;
Loving all, beloved by all;
Faithful in every trust even unto death."

PREFACE.

A FEW words of introduction, besides those in Section I.
of this Memoir, are thought necessary.

Three and a half years have elapsed since the death of
Bishop Burgess, and yet only now is this Memorial Volume
completed. Those interested in its preparation are not
entirely in fault for this delay. It has been caused chiefly
by failure in their efforts to secure as its author some friend,
whose occupations would release sufficient time for its care-
ful writing, and whose relations to the Bishop, and other
qualifications, would ensure a true delineation of his noble
character and his saintly life.

After the work had been cordially undertaken by more
than one, and surrendered for lack of time or for other good
cause, the plan of linking together the contributions of va-
rious writers, who should present the narrative of different
parts of the Bishop's life, or an estimate of different features
of his character, or of portions of his labors, was adopted.
This plan is unusual, indeed, and lacks the unity and com-
pleteness which a single mind and pen confer. But it pos-

1*

vi PREFACE.

sesses its own manifest advantages, and it is hoped will win
the interest of the reader, and not be unsuccessful in fulfilling
the design of a memoir.

As the pages of this volume are turned, it will be seen
that they are either from the Bishop's own pen, in the form
of epistolary correspondence, sermons, journal, and diary, or
are contributed by those who have been associated with him
in the different portions and labors of his life, and who conceal
not the reverence and love they have borne to him ; or are
written by her who for twenty years held the closest relation
to him, and was best acquainted with his inner and hidden
life. The Editor has but filled up here and there a space
which was still left vacant, that no chasm should exist in the
continuity of the Memoir. Though most of the Sections
were kindly given to him to use, in whole or in part, as he
might judge best, he has omitted little, except where repeti-
tion would thus be avoided.

The Reverend Doctors Alexander H. and Francis Vinton,
playmates in boyhood, are witnesses to the Bishop's child-
hood ; Hon. John Kingsbury, his classmate in Brown Uni-
versity, describes his college life; Bishop Williams of Con-
necticut, and Judge Huntington, a parishioner in Hartford,
contribute an account of his labors while residing in that
city; Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg, an early and earnest advocate
of the Memorial, writes of his association with that important
measure; Rev. Drs. Howe and Wharton recount his efforts
for the improvement of the Hymnody of the Church ; Bishop

PREFACE. Vll

Armitage, for several years a Presbyter in Maine, gives remi-
niscences of him in his Diocese; Rev. John F. Spaulding,
by him led through Candidateship and admitted to the Priest-
hood, contributes an account of his interest in Candidates for
Orders and his care of them ; Rev. Edward Jessup, once a
successful Rector in Maine, portrays him as Pastor of pastors ;
Rev. Dr. Ballard of Maine describes his historical pursuits,
and gives an account of some of his latest labors in the Dio-
cese; the growth of the Church in Maine, before his Epis-
copate and during it, is from the pen of Rev. Mr. Bartlet of
Massachusetts, who had carefully watched it; Rev. Mr. Dal-
ton and Rev. Dr. Gardiner, both long connected with his
Diocese, describe him as a preacher and teacher; Rev. Dr.
Hallam, his friend, of Connecticut, as a miscellaneous writer ;
a list of the Bishop's publications is furnished by Rev. Dr.
Wm. H. Brooks, once a Presbyter of Maine; his connection
with the enforcement of discipline in case of a Bishop is told
by Rev. Dr. John Cotton Smith, ordained by him to the
Priesthood ; his labors in Hayti are recorded by an eye-
witness. Rev. Theodore Holly, missionary in that island ;
his activity and influence in the councils of the Bishops
are described by Bishop Lee of Delaware; a pleasant letter
upon one of his visits to New Brunswick is from the pen of
the Lord Bishop of Fredericton, while another from Bishop
Kip gathers up some of the minor traits of the Bishop's
character ; the estimate of his Churchmanship is from a
friend of long and close companionship. Bishop Coxe of

vm PREFACE.

Western New York, who, as well as Bishop Clark of Rhode
Island, in a sermon commemorates his life and character.

The Editor on his own behalf, and yet more on that of
Mrs. Bishop Burgess, more closely than himself in thought,
labor, and heart bound to this Memoir, expresses thus pub-
licly deep gratitude to those above named, and to all who
have aided in the preparation of this volume.

It is now sent out as an imperfect memorial of a life which,
though in the main uneventful, and remotely connected with
the striking events of the generation, was honorable to the
Church, a blessing to souls, a bulwark to the truth as in
Jesus, and of service to God.

May He grant to many who read it to be "followers" of
such "and of the Lord!"

CONTENTS

I.

II.

Parentage and Childhood

pa(;e
17
18

III.

College Life

• 23

IV.

Habits of Study

27

V.

Early Religious History ....

31

VI.

Choice of a Profession ....

32

VII.

European Journal

• 33

VIII.

Devotional Habits .....

. 48

IX.

Admission to Holy Orders . . . .

58

X.

Ordination to the Priesthood and Institution

66

XI.

Residence at Hartford ....

73

XII.

Marriage ......

85

XIII.

Literary Labors .....

86

XIV.

Approach to the Episcopate . . , .

89

XV.

Work in Hartford

95

XVI.

Life and Labors in Hartford . . . .

98

XVII.

Election to the Episcopate . . . .

lOI

XVIII.

Farewell to Hartford

105

XIX.

Interest in Old Friends retained

109

XX.

Gardiner and Maine . . . . .

116

XXI.

Bishop Burgess and the Memorial .

125

XXII.

Hymnody .......

129

XXIII.

The Bishop in Maine

136

CONTENTS.

XXIV. Diocesan Seminaries .

XXV. Bishop Burgess as a Parish Priest

XXVI. Letters

XXVII. The Board of Missions of the Church before

any Voluntary Society .

XXVIII. The Relations of Bishop Burgess to Youn
Men and to Candidates for Orders

XXIX. Letters to a Candidate for Orders

XXX. The Bishop as Pastor of Pastors .

XXXI. Letters .....

XXXII. Historical Tastes and Pursuits

XXXIII. In the House of Bishops

XXXIV. Growth of the Church in Maine .
XXXV. As a Preacher ....

XXXVI. Appendix to Section XXXV.

XXXVII. As a Teacher ....

XXXVIII. Churchmanship ....

XXXIX. Letters

XL. As a Miscellaneous Writer .

XLI. As a Poet

XLII. As a Patriot ....

XLIII. List of Published Books or Pamphlets

XLIV. Student and Honorary Degrees .

XLV. The Presentment of Bishop Doane of New

Jersey

XLVI. Visit to Fredericton

XLVII. Cheerfulness

XLVIII. Gathered Fragments

XLIX. The Bishop's Health

L. Last Meeting of the Board of Missions

LI. Departure from Home

LII. Voyage .....

CONTEXTS.

XI

LIII. At Port-aU' Prince

LIV. Visitation in Hayti

LV. The End

LVI. Tidings of the Bishop's Death

LVII. Sermon of the Rev. John T. Magrath

LVIII. Funeral Services and Address

LIX. Monumental Memorials

LX. Bishop Coxe's Commemorative Sermon

PAGE

374
379
384

391

405
407

Memoir

Bishop Burgess.

I.

VERY general wish has been expressed that so exem-
plary a life as that of Bishop Burgess should not be
suffered to pass away from remembrance ; but that a
complete biography might be given to the church. This, how-
ever, it has been found impossible to accomplish, on account
of the difficulty experienced in obtaining the necessary material.
His own letters would have furnished the best and most abund-
ant material. But many have not been preserved ; many of the
most interesting are of too private and personal a nature to be
given to the public ; and in some instances an unaccountable
unwillingness has been shown to consent to the publication of
letters, which are only on general and public topics.

Under these circumstances, all that can be done is to offer a
series of outline sketches, prepared by various hands, and repre-
senting the Bishop in various positions, instead of a finished por-
trait by a master's pencil.

The work is a memorial pile, of which each stone is prepared
and offered by a different friend, only the cement needed to
unite the whole being otherwise supplied; and if it lacks the
unity and the finish of the polished shaft, cut from a single block
of marble, designed and executed by a practised sculptor, it may
still prove that the varied inscriptions, each recording a talent

2

1 8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

given or a virtue practised, will as faithfully portray the departed
Bishop, as the most comprehensive record that could be engraved
on an elaborate monument.

II.

PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD.

All the information needed respecting the ancestry of Bishop
Burgess is recorded in the genealogy of the Burgess family,
lately published by the Rev. Dr. Ebenezer Burgess, of Dedham,
Massachusetts.

It appears that Thomas Burgess arrived in Salem, Massachu-
setts, with a young family, not far from 1630, and lodged for a
time at Lynn. A section of land was assigned to him, which he
forfeited by his removal to Sandwich in the same year. In the
settlement of Sandwich, he was associated with others, being "a
chief man among them." In the church, instituted in 1638, he
was an original member. In process of time he became a large
landholder, and with advancing age he was called Goodman
Burgess. He served the town in every office, humble or honora-
ble, from road surveyor to the Court at Plymouth, for several
successive years.

He lived on the estate forty-eight years, and died February 13,
1685, aged eighty-two years. His grave was honored with a
monumental slab imported from England. This was the only
monument set up for any pilgrim of the first generation.

His third son Jacob had a son Ebenezer, who removed to that
part of Plymouth called Wareham. His third son, also Ebene-
zer, had three sons, the youngest of whom. Prince, was the grand-
father of the Bishop. Of him the genealogy says: "In perse-
vering industry and religious trust he served God and his genera-
tion to the good age of 84 years. In the Revolutionary War he
joined the armies of his country for a short campaign, and he
bore the title of Lieutenant to the end of life."

"As was common in the patriarchal families of New England,
all the members of his household were called together morning
and evening for the worship of God. The Bible was read,
prayer offered, and blessings implored. When the table was
spread thrice in the day, a petition was offered and thanks re-
turned. Too much praise cannot well be ascribed to the mater-
nal head of the family, who survived her husband several years.

PARENTAGE AND CIIJLDJIOOD. 1 9

Her husband praised her, and her children arose up and called
her blessed."

Thomas Burgess, the second son of Prince, graduated at Brown
University in the year 1800, settled in Providence, Rhode Island,
and, in 1803, married Mary, daughter of Andrew Mackie, M. D.,
of Scotch descent, residing in Wareham, Massachusetts.

"Judge Burgess, distinguished through life by scrupulous
integrity, by habits of great industry, and by the conscientious
discharge of every trust, as well as by eminent sagacity and pru-
dence, merited and acquired the confidence of his fellow-citizens,
in a measure that is accorded only to the most blameless. His
counsel was sought with a peculiar reliance on its value ; and the
weightiest affairs and most delicate duties were intrusted to him
without apprehension. As Judge of the Municipal Court of
Providence, an office which he held from the organization of the
city government till within a few years of his death, he presided
over the distribution of the estates of that large and wealthy com-
munity with more than satisfaction to those whose interests de-
manded an exact and watchful guardian. He was also Chief
Justice of the Common Pleas for a number of years, and that
office was never in wiser or purer hands. His professional prac-
tice, with his other undertakings, secured to him, under the
blessing of God, a prosperous position ; and he was able and
ready to lend cheerful and considerate assistance to those who
needed his kindness, and to bear his part in works of public
beneficence. The honorable profession of the law has seldom
furnished a worthier example of the Christian duties, than his
character displayed from youth to age ; uprightness, fidelity, dis-
cretion, diligence, and the fear of God. At an early period.
Judge Burgess and his wife were united with the Church of
Christ, and maintained an exemplary deportment to the end of
life."

For the last twelve years or more of his life, he was a member
of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Rhode Island.

His eldest son, Thomas Mackie Burgess, a graduate of Brown
University, was for ten successive years Mayor of the City of
Providence.

The second son, George, the subject of the memoir, was born
October 31st, 1809, at Providence.

His childhood was so uneventful, that little worthy of record
is remembered.

Through all of it, he was a diligent reader. Undisturbed by
the conversation of the family, he could sit engrossed in reading

20 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

or study. History and poetry were particularly attractive to him.
Shakspeare was an especial favorite.

A most marked trait was perseverance. He could not have
been more than seven years old, when he commenced reading
aloud Benedict's History of the Baptists, a large book of over
nine hundred pages, containing very little of interest to a child.
Day after day he seated himself on a low bench, with the pon-
derous volume on a chair before him, and, whether the family
listened or not, went on with his reading, till the book was
finished.

The following, from the pen of the Rev. Francis Vinton, D. D.,
a companion of his childhood and youth, well illustrates his
character previous to his college days.

"Among the reminiscences of the youth of George Burgess,
one or two characteristics stand out in the fore front of memory.

"His love of peace and good-will among his schoolmates was
evinced in many cases wherein he acted as mediator. And yet
he appeared as a belligerent, on a certain occasion, to the amaze-
ment of his companions.

"We attended the same school in Providence. A big bully
of a fellow, who shall be nameless, was the dread of all the little
boys, who bore his persecutions with becoming patience, because
they could not help themselves. Like the boy in saying his
catechism, who confessed that he ought to forgive his adversary
who should strike him, provided 'he was the bigger boy,' so we
exercised the same questionable charity towards our big foe.

"But one day the mean fellow exercised his cruel propensities
toAvards a pretty girl Avhom we all respected. The pain and
mortification which she could not help expressing, created a sym-
pathetic sensation among us all, except the bully, who laughed
at her misfortune. He was at once detected as the base and
guilty one. No boy doubted it. All of us looked daggers at
him. This might have been the extent of our indignation ; but
when we were let out for recreation, George Burgess, the pacific
boy, went up to him and levelled a blow at his face, announcing
'take that, you scoundrel, for putting that pin on M.'s seat.'

" The contest was not long. George was overpowered. We
returned to our duties in school. George, somewhat the worse
for the encounter, was, nevertheless, admired as the champion of
innocent beauty both by girls and boys.

"When the school was dismissed, George attacked the tyrant
again, and with the help of the other small boys he gave the

BOYHOOD. 21

fellow a drubbing. The teacher took the matter in hand, and
dismissed the bully.

"Another reminiscence. When my elder brother returned
from West Point, on a short leave of absence in winter, he ob-
served us one morning rolling large balls of snow in my grand-
father's garden. He suggested a snow fort. We built it in the
angle of the fence, and felt very proud of our achievement. My
brother then proposed that we should defend the fort against his
attack. So, when we had provided an arsenal of snow-balls, and
he had accumulated a large pile, we challenged him to come on.
We threw our snow-balls at him, which he easily dodged. And
when our ammunition was nearly exhausted, he gathered up his
pile into his arms, and made the attack with a stride and a whoop.
There were four of us. We received the fire pretty well for two
or three minutes, when three of us leaped over the fence, leaving
George Burgess alone to bear the brunt of the assault.

"I recall him at that moment. I see his bent figure, crouch-
ing behind the parapet, and ever and anon looking over to fire
at his antagonist, until all his snow-balls were gone. Then my
brother advanced close to the snow wall, which he overtopped,
and pelted George with his whole armory.

"George never flinched, but received the entire battery on his
person. His clothes were dotted with marks of the snow-balls.
My brother proclaimed him the victor and the brave defender of
the fort ; while he reproached us with well-deserved epithets.

"I repossess my shame. I recollect my admiration of George
Burgess as he stood up with flushed face, bearing on his body
the marks of his bravery.

"The first anecdote illustrates the chivalric courage; this anec-
dote exemplifies the conscientious fortitude of George Burgess.
'The child is father of the man.'

"Our homes were on opposite sides of the same street. We
met at each other's house in a Reading Society, projected by
our mutual friend, the late Rev. James C. Richmond, who
was always foremost, as a boy, in plans of self-improvement.

"At twelve years of age, George Burgess astonished us with
an original ballad in rhyme, which he spoke at a school exhibi-
tion in which we both took part."

The Rev. Alexander H. Vinton, D. D., who was the intimate
friend of the Bishop, in his school days as well as in later years,
writes thus in a letter to Rev. Dr. Burgess, of Brooklyn.

"Of his early life I remember no particular or striking inci-
dents, but his characteristics were the same as marked him after-
wards.

22 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

" He was eminently studious, almost always at the head of his
class at school, never coming under the censure of his teachers,
and universally esteemed and loved by the scholars. He never
quarrelled, though I remember to have seen him once roused to
a pitch of anger that was almost terrible ; but the provocation,
though a personal one, bore so much of injustice, that his indigna-
tion seemed to be moral more than personal ; the same in quality
as you have seen in his later days when his moral convictions
were outraged.

"He was a great reader, and specially fond of history. I re-
member that he read through Mavor's Universal History when we
lived opposite your house and he was about nine years old.

" He likewise at that time wrote verses, among them a History
of the Revolution, in which the rhymes and the rhythm were both
very true.

"His conscientiousness was always a paramount trait, and he
was considered by the families, old and young, of our mutual
acquaintance, a model boy.

' ' He used to enter into our common sports with as much zeal
as any of us, excursions into the fields, acting plays, &c., and was
therefore never regarded as feeble or girlish."

The persistency, to which reference has been made, constantly
showed itself in mature years, but was held in control by a hu-
mility, which remembering, that right might be with the oppo-
nent, was willing to be convinced and glad to yield to the better
course.

To the early life of Bishop Burgess may be applied words,
which he has written with reference to another childhood. " In
almost all biographies, this portion of life is rapidly glided over.
The reason is in the nature of things ; during seed time, the seed
lies covered."

He attended a day school until the summer of 1821, when, at
the age of not quite twelve years, he was found prepared for col-
lege, but his father was unwilling that he should enter so early.
He was taken from school and allowed to spend a year in the
study of French and in miscellaneous reading.

COLLEGE LIFE. 23

III.

COLLEGE LIFE.

In September, 1822, George Burgess entered Brown Univer-
sity. Though the youngest member of his class, being not quite
thirteen years old, he at once took a high stand, and maintained
it to the end, graduating, in 1826, with the highest honors.

His extreme conscientiousness in the discharge of duty is
shown by the fact, that during the four years of his collegiate
course, though at some distance from the college building, he
was never absent from prayers, which at that time were at sun-
rise, a recitation following before breakfast ; nor from a single
recitation, nor was he ever marked deficient. He was present at
service on Sunday, except on one occasion, when, having fainted
in church in the morning, he was obliged to remain at home in
the afternoon.

The letter following, a memorial of his college life, is from the
pen of one of his classmates, Hon. John Kingsbury, LL.D., of
Providence, addressed to Mrs. Bishop Burgess.

Providence, December, 1867.

"My dear Madam : In the autumn of 1822 I became a member
of the Freshman Class in Brown University. On the first day of
the term, among those at morning prayers, there was one so
youthful as to attract my particular attention. It did not seem
possible that he could be a member of college ; or if that were
true, that he could be prepared for its duties. Soon, however,
he was near me in the classroom, and by a brilliant recitation
dispelled all doubts from my mind in regard to his fitness for the
position. Fair in complexion, tall and slender, not quite thirteen
years old, yet withal he was so modest and winning in manner,
that I sought his immediate acquaintance.

This was my first meeting with your late husband Bishop Bur-
gess, an acquaintance which ripened into friendship, and was
destined to be most intimate the remainder of his life.

I will, therefore, as you desire it, endeavor to give you the
impression which his life in college made upon my mind, and
trust that its truthfulness will be readily acknowledged by other
members of the class.

24 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

A marked feature in the character' of young Burgess was the
contrast between him and boys generally who are educated in a
city. He seemed to have secured all the good which the supe-
rior facilities of a city afford for the acquisition of knowledge,
while he had escaped all the evils which a city so abundantly
places in the pathway of youth.

The acquisition of so much knowledge without any display of
pride or self-conceit made him a great favorite of his classmates,
and also of his instructors. Nor was this popularity confined to
mature and thoughtful students, for so great was his modesty and
amiability that even the most unscrupulous seemed to feel that
his character was too sacred for censure.

If his conscientiousness exposed him to this, the sweetness of
his temper and his uniform courtesy disarmed their opposition,
and even made them his friends. Probably there was no other
member of the class who so faithfully fulfilled all of his college
duties, and yet was so little obnoxious to those who were subject
to blame for the neglect of duty.

Another characteristic was fixedness of purpose. With a social
disposition, a mind peculiarly susceptible to refinement and art,
he was not to be led astray by these from the one special object
then before him ; namely, to secure by all suitable means a
thorough classical education. Much less did the ordinary trifles
of social life, by which many a student is turned aside from high
aspirations, lead him astray. No one, however mature, could
have more sternly pursued the course which he had prescribed
for himself. His habits, both of body and of mind, were of the
most fixed character. So exact and prompt was he in his attend-
ance at college at a given hour, that some of his class made his
arrival at recitations and prayers their timepiece. He was never
tardy or absent from prayers or recitations during the four years
of college life, nor is it known to me that he was ever excused
from the performance of a prescribed duty. The result was what
might have been expected : such a careful preparation of his
exercises and lessons as gave him unvarying success.

With the exception of the severer of his mathematical studies,
they were of the highest order ; and any imperfection in these
arose from his extreme youth rather than want of ability or of
thorough preparation. His fluency in language and great beauty
of expression made his recitations very attractive. The style in
which he rendered the Greek and Latin poets I shall never forget.
It was like the sweet strains of distant music, where there is
nothing that jars upon the ear.

Nor was his time entirely absorbed by his college studies. He
spent much of it in general reading ; and it was a source of won-
der to his classmates, that while his reading was so various and

COLLEGE LIFE. 25

so extensive, it was selected so judiciously. And this wonder
was increased on learning that he was chiefly guided in the selec-
tion by his own judgment.

Though fond of History and Biography, he was particularly
acquainted with English Literature. In this he was greatly in
advance of the majority, if not of the entire class.

His system of reading was very philosophical. Though not
original with him, it was a matter of surprise that one of his age
should not only have adopted it, but so successfully carried it
into execution. Reading was his recreation. When he M^as
weary with study, then he began to read. If he needed respite
from Euclid or Homer, he resorted to history or biography. If
this required too much effort of mind, he had recourse to poetry
or light literature. Thus every hour was given to the acquisition
of knowledge.

It could be said most truly of him, that the boy was the father
of the man. So regular and fixed were his habits, both of body
and of mind even in college, that when he became a man he had
nothing in these respects to change. There was all the exactness,
the discipline, and the self-control that were needed in after life.

Yet he was not a recluse. Far from it. He was eminently
social in his disposition, and cultivated intimate relations with
many of his classmates. Yet he did not allow these relations to
turn him aside from any prescribed duty. Nor did the fascina-
tions of society prove to be any more effectual in causing him to
swerve from the true duties of a student. He thought it was un-
worthy of a scholar to yield himself to the blandishments of
society, and by so doing to impair his literary standing; and
many a time was he known to express his surprise, that young
men so often seem to forget the true object of college life.

It was in college that he acquired a fixed style of composition.
It is not often that any one there attains a style which is worthy
to remain unchanged. When his age is taken into the account,
it is more remarkable that he made the acquisition.

He was the poet of the class, and at the close of the first term
he delivered a poem by appointment, which was received with
much applause. Even at this period he was noted for that pecu-
liarity for which he was conspicuous in maturer years — the union
of the fanciful and the practical ; strong powers of the imagina-
tion, and a large share of common sense. Owing to this union
of opposite qualities, he was not to be diverted from the dis-
charge of the humblest and most trifling duty by a desire to
gratify his taste. There was not in him any of that nervous ex-
citement, that feverish sensitiveness so common to poetic minds,
and on account of which they would fain be excused from the
discharge of severe duties, or for their numerous eccentricities.

2 6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

He was never tempted to neglect his college studies under the
impression that he was a genius. He believed that labor, hard
study, was necessary to success. The result of this course was
such a discipline of both mental and physical powers as enabled
him to execute with ease whatever he attempted. He never
waited for the inspiration of genius; for such as he had was
always upon him, and he could thtis always accomplish, at the
appointed time, whatever he attempted.

His moral character while in college was not less complete or
attractive than his mental. While he loved his classmates, and
united most heartily with them in all that he regarded as right
and true, there the attraction ended. He could not be tempted
to engage in anything which tended to thwart or contravene col-
lege authority. Yet his refusal to do wrong was tempered with
so much true politeness, that each refusal secured for himself an
additional degree of respect. He was exact and pains-taking in
the fulfilment of all relative duties, whether towards his inferiors,
his equals, or his superiors.

Yet a casual observer might have found it difficult to decide
whether amiability or moral principle was the motive power. To
his intimate friends, however, it was evident that he had to strug-
gle against evil tendencies as well as others ; and that his perfect
self-control was the result of persevering moral aspiration. Care-
ful always to speak the truth himself, nothing seemed to shock
him more, or cause his face to be flushed with surprise, than
those untruths which many students seem to think they can utter
or at least act, without being guilty of falsehood.

No impulse of ambition, no desire to be popular, and no ex-
traordinary excitement ever caused him to swerve from the true
line of duty.

So he lived daily. If a moral and amiable life were enough
in this world for a young man, surely there was reason that he
should have been flattered into such a belief; and to have drawn
the conclusion that a moral life alone would be acceptable to
God. But he did not fall into this self-pleasing snare. Before
he left college he was awakened to the inquiry, What must a
man do to be saved? And he was led by the Holy Spirit to feel
that the Gospel required an inner life, without which the bright-
est traits of moral character, as a means of salvation, utterly fail.
It was under the influence of such an experience that soon after
he graduated, he left the parish church where he had attended
from his infancy, because he wanted a Christianity in which an
atoning Saviour was more prominent, and became a communi-
cant of St. John's Episcopal Church in this city.

He left college with the highest honors of his class, though
not quite seventeen years of age, with a discipline more perfect

HABITS OF STUDY. 27

than a majority of his classmates, and a wider acquaintance with
English literature than any of them. If some of them were supe-
rior in mathematical or metaphysical studies, there was no one
who presented a more fully developed character in all that con-
stitutes true scholarship and manly virtues."

IV.

HABITS OF STUDY.

The Bishop's habits as a student were so similar in mature life
to those of his boyhood, that all may be included in a few pages,
in connection with his college life.

In a letter written at the age of fifteen, during a college vaca-
tion, to a classmate, he described himself as "seated in an elbow-
chair, in all the dignity of unconquerable laziness." His laziness
was evidently limited to late rising, for he writes: "I spend the
day in reading and the evening in making memoranda of what I
have read. Sometimes, in a warm day, I ramble five or six
miles out into the country, or skate awhile on the cove. Not-
withstanding all this, and though I am not lonely, and I believe
I never shall be ; though I have time and liberty to go wherever
I will ; though I have the keys of the Philermenian Library and
four others at my command, still you must know, and I do know
by experience, that a state of rest cannot please long. You may
or may not wonder how I spend so much time in reading ; the
secret, however simple it may appear, I have just discovered ; it
is that you may read days and even weeks without being fatigued,
only read several books at the same time."

Though he speaks of this as a secret just discovered, his family
remember him, as a child, lying on the floor, surrotmded by
books from which he read by turns, by the light of a wood fire.

He always had a number of books and papers around him,
resting his mind by variety ; writing perhaps a paragraph of a
sermon, and then reading a page of history or a few lines of
poetry, or an item in a newspaper. He was never idle, but books
and papers were before him, even while making some slight
change in his dress. He never seemed to realize how steadily

28 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

he worked. He has been heard to say that he did not believe
in the long vacations taken by clergymen ; that it was better to
do as he did — take his rest and recreation as he went along.

He was aided in accomplishing so much by cultivating great
quietness of mind and manner, and never allowing himself to be
hurried or excited. If interrupted by callers or guests when he
was most occupied and could not really spare the time, he was
still as cordial and hospitable as ever, never allowing them to
suspect that they were a hindrance, never allowing himself to
think so. When they were gone he never complained of the
visit; but simply saying, "Now, I must make up for lost time,"
he would seize his pen and write steadily perhaps till midnight,
and then with some exultation announce that he had accomplished
his task. After writing in this way, under pressure, he would
not go to bed with his brain excited lest he should not sleep, but
would always read something to calm his mind, a few pages of
poetry, or of Dickens, or of Burke's Peerage, a subject in which
he delighted. A few years ago he commenced reading Worces-
ter's Dictionary. This large book lay always on a side desk,
and often in the course of the day he would go to it and study
the next word. He sometimes laughed a little at his choice of
reading matter, but said that he was enriching his vocabulary.
He always read while travelling, and if his walks were in the less
frequented streets or roads, a newspaper or book was drawn from
his pocket to beguile the way.

He read newspapers more thoroughly than most men, and said
of religious papers, that the more carefully he read them, the
more valuable he considered them. In reading the daily secular
papers, he had his own peculiar plan. When the paper first
arrived, he glanced rapidly through it, his eye easily catching
the news of the day. It was then laid aside until his long,
lonely walks or rides gave him time to go over it carefully, when
he read every part, taking especial interest in the articles on
science, art, or literature. He often cut out such pieces as he
thought worth preserving, and with them he filled a number of
large scrap-books.

His mind was overflowing with subjects for valuable books,
which might have been written, if his life had been prolonged or

READING. 29

less crowded with other cares and occupations. He has left a
large mass of papers, showing the beginnings of such undertak-
ings. The backs of many old letters are found covered with
pencil marks, in some cases so much rubbed as to be almost
illegible. Some of these pencillings are evidently extracts from
his reading, made probably while travelling and out of reach of
his note-book; some are lines of poetry which impressed him,
and others are evidently original thoughts jotted down for future
use.

He was very fond of statistics, of making lists and catalogues,
and could rehearse long lines of the sovereigns of various coun-
tries. If he had unoccupied time when he could not read, such
as a wakeful hour at night, he would amuse himself by trying
how many poets or prose writers of note he could name, or in
some similar way. He took the trouble to study the reports of
all the religious denominations in Maine and prepared a long
paper, stating the number of places of worship, and of communi-
cants, and marking particularly the universal neglect, almost dis-
use of infant baptism, shown by the small number of such bap-
tisms reported in each county. He also made a list of names of
persons in different generations, who might have seen each
other, forming a complete chain from Adam to himself. Such
were his amusement and relaxation.

In buying books, he preferred double columns and narrow
margins, saying that he liked to find a great deal of reading on a
page. But he had no ambition to collect a large library. As
long as he lived where there were public libraries always open to
him, he was content to own but few books beyond the standard
authors to which he wished often to refer. The substance of many
books seemed to be held so completely in his memory after once
reading, that it mattered little whether the volume had been bor-
rowed or could remain on his shelves. A few years ago, he
purchased the whole set of Anderson's British Poets, and reading,
as his habit was, a short passage at intervals, had reached the
fifth volume.

To realize what an indefatigable student he was, one needs to
see the immense mass of manuscript left behind, and to examine
the large common-place books, filled with data furnishing mate-

30 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

rials for books, some of which have been already written.
Though he went to his second parish with a large stock of ser-
mons, upwards of thirteen hundred, which he might have used,
he continued to write two every week, except when prevented by
his Episcopal duties, and had always a number which had never
been preached.

An instance of his industry and perseverance may be given.
A few years ago, it occurred to him that the earlier records of
Ordinations in this country were very imperfect; that it was even
then, in many cases, difficult to ascertain by whom a clergyman
had been ordained, or at what time, and that every year which
passed must increase the difficulty. He therefore undertook to
ascertain, as far as possible, the date of every Ordination that had
taken place in this country and the name of the ordaining Bishop.
He found his self-imposed task by no means an easy one, and
in a letter written at the time, he says, "Some things are dis-
couraging as to the early, not the earliest, ordinations ; but many
of them, if not all, can still be accurately recorded, with some
pains. The difficulties show how important it is that such a list,
if it is ever to be complete, should now be arranged."

In order to collect this information, an immense number of
letters was necessarily written, and when all the answers were
received, the record was still to be made. He procured a large
blank book, and to make the record permanently legible, printed
it all with his own hand, intending to present the fruit of his
labors to the General Convention that it might be continued from
year to year, and become a source of reference when such infor-
mation was needed. While this work was in progress, other
names, from time to time, came to his knowledge, which he was
obliged to interline. When all was finished, he was not satisfied
with its appearance, marred, as he thought, by interlineations,
and he resolved to rewrite the whole. He might have employed
a secretary to copy it, but he preferred to make it throughout the
work of his own hand. Another book was procured, and he set
himself patiently to the labor of copying. It was no light task,
and the day preceding the meeting of the General Convention
of 1862 found it unfinished. He would not give up his determi-
nation to complete it before reaching the Convention. He took

EARL y RELIC, 10 US IIISTOR Y. 3 1

the two books, pens and a pocket inkstand with him in the cars.
The books lay open on his knees, his pen was in his hand, the
inkstand was held by his travelling companion. The moment
the cars stopped, his j^en was dipped in the ink, and at each sta-
tion he succeeded in copying one, two, or three names. He was
amused to think what the other inmates of the car thought of
him; but he was rewarded for his perseverance. Before he
arrived at New York, the last name had been copied.

V.

EARLY RELIGIOUS HISTORY.

The Bishop had so little the habit of talking about himself,
that it is impossible to give fully his early religious history. A
child of religious parents, in a household sanctified by family
prayer and Godly instruction, he was religiously trained. Dur-
ing his childhood, his father's pastor became Unitarian. His
parents, from personal attachment, though they did not share the
errors of their minister, for some years continued members of
his congregation. Their son, when about fifteen years old, began
to examine the discrepancy between the instructions he received
at home and in the place of worship he attended on Sunday.
After much study he made his choice. In November, 1828, he
became a communicant in St. John's Church, and the following
spring received confirmation. The change once made was made
finally. One sister soon followed him, and was, at the same time,
confirmed. A few years later his father and mother joined with
him, but for the time his relatives, friends, and associates were
mostly Congregationalists.

When asked recently how it happened that he chose the Epis-
copal Church, he replied he was led to it by the reading of
Ecclesiastical History.

Of his inward religious history during early life, still less is
known. It may be judged by growth and results. Withotit
being one of those perfect children, he was always a conscientious
boy, and attended faithfully to known religious duties. Yet when

32 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

his heart became deeply and intelligently interested, the change
in him was very marked. He was evidently much more prayer-
ful, and the same duties, which had been performed because his
conscience would not allow him to neglect them, were done be-
cause he loved them. All that before was simply right in him
seemed sanctified.

VI.
CHOICE OF A PROFESSION.

After graduating from college, Mr. Burgess entered his father's
office, and completed the full course of a student at law, but
never applied for admission to the bar.

Before he had finished his studies, he had become satisfied that
it was his duty to devote his life to the more direct service of
God, and a tutorship in the college being at that time offered to
him, he accepted it, discharging the duties from 1829 to 1831,
and pursuing, at the same time, his theological studies, under the
direction of the Rev. Dr. Crocker, long the venerated Rector of
St. John's Church in Providence.

While all must have appreciated his motives and admitted the
propriety of his resolution, there were probably many who shared
the feelings expressed by one classmate, who wrote that he could
"not refrain from uttering one regret at the loss which the law
had sustained;" adding, "the situation of our country seems to
indicate that, ere long, our common happiness may require the
undivided efforts of able and virtuous men in that profession
which appears to be the great highway of secular distinction."

He probably never could have been a physician, nor a specu-
lator ; perhaps his prudence would have prevented his being what
the world would call a very successful merchant. He so much
enjoyed not only studying out law cases, but reading trials
and tracking the criminals, before arrest, from one hiding place
to another, as to draw upon him sometimes the raillery of friends.
And yet all the duties, which belonged to him as a clergyman,
seemed to be performed so easily and naturally, that when it was

EUROrEAX yOURXAL. ^^

once said to a friend that his taste for the law was so strong that
it cost him quite a struggle to relinquish it for the ministry, the
answer was a surprised exclamation, "Why, I thought he was
born a clergyman !" The decision once made, was fully made —
there was never any looking back with regret to what he had
given up, never an unwillingness to take up any duty which came
within his sphere. It did not seem to be in human nature that
he should never be weary, either mentally or physically, of the
constant demands upon himj btit if it cost him self-denial to
answer them, he never showed it by an impatient word or look.
He seemed to make his duty emphatically his pleasure. Except
in extreme cases, when sickness or death occurred, he could
hardly be induced to leave his Diocese, even to visit his family
or near friends. Such visits were generally limited to a day or
a night spent with them on his way to the performance of official
duty; and often they were entirely given up, when promised,
because a funeral or a marriage detained him in his parish till
the last moment. When it was sometimes suggested to him that
in the case of a wedding, he might ask the parties to have some
consideration for his plans, and arrange their own so as not to
interfere with them, he would not listen, for he said that when
he gave himself to the work of the ministry, he resolved never
to let his own pleasure stand in the way of any official duty. His
friends sometimes tried to persuade him that he had duties towards
them as well as towards his Diocese, but he put aside their re-
monstrances, saying that he must look forward to enjoying their
society in a world of rest.

VII.

EUROPEAN JOURNAL.

In April, 1831, Mr. Burgess went abroad and spent two years
in attending lectures in the Universities of Gottingen, Bonn, and
Berlin, and one year in travelling over other portions of Europe.
During this time, he kept a regular journal; but Europe is now
such familiar ground, that it is thought best to extract only a few
passages, showing his habits of life and his devout spirit.
3

34 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

"Saturday, April 30, 1831. About nine in the morning, I left
home in the stage for Bristol. Parting, although long anticipated,
drew from me more tears, perhaps, than became a man ; yet I
am not ashamed of them. My dear father accompanied me to
the lower part of the town, and was the last of my Providence
acquaintances whom I saw. As we rode through Seekonk, we
could frequently get a view of the pleasant town we had left, and
I gazed upon it with an ardent wish and prayer, that, if it might
be the will of my Heavenly Father, I might be restored to it in
peace and prosperity, finding what I had left, all almost, who
are dearest to me, happy in His blessings. If not, His Holy
Will be done.

May I, Sunday I thought of my friends who were

attending and enjoying the services of the sanctuary. May the
best blessings of Heaven be upon them !

Tuesday, May 3. Going on deck immediately after I rose, I
found that there was no land to be seen; and thus, as it were, the
last link broken which bound us to our country. We are now left
to the protection of Him who 'stilleth the raging of the sea;' and
I may well write, as a worthy friend of mine headed his journal
of a voyage, 'the waves of the sea are mighty and rage horribly,
but yet the Lord who dwelleth on high, is mightier than they.'

June 17, Friday. (He arrived at Bremen, and on Saturday,
June 25, at Gottingen.)

Sunday, June 26. Nearly opposite the hotel where I lodged,
is the church of St. James, where Dr. Ruperti preaches. I went
there at nine, but a young man of pretty good delivery addressed
the congregation. The minister two or three times speaks to
the people, and seems to read, also, from the Scriptures : there
is a great deal of singing, and to-day the clergyman said the
Lord's Prayer; but where are the other devotional exercises?
They do not stand; they do not kneel; to me their mode of
worship seems illy to compare with most of ours, and worst of
all to compare with that of my own Church. The music is good ;
but I think it would have been better on this occasion, without
the French horn, which gave every instant its discordant sound.

Monday, June 27. . . . I called on Professor Lucke, to whom
I had an introduction from Professor Robinson, of Andover.
He is distinguished for a work on the New Testament, the writ-
ings, I believe, of St. John. I found him at his room, in the
third story, I think, of his lodgings, and was received by him
with much politeness. He is about forty in appearance, and has
a face of great affability and kindness. The books in his room
could by no means compare in number with the private libraries
of professional men, which I have seen in America. Two small
engravings of Luther and Melancthon hung upon the wall, besides

AT GOTTINGEN. 35

some which I did not distinguish, and a handsome female \xjx-
trait. I confess I feh something of the enthusiasm of a student
when I saw him thus, representing the great assembly of German
scholars; something like the love of learning for its own sake.
Some circumstances at dinner, where about thirty students were
my companions to-day, especially the brawling of one drunken
booby, had rather disgusted me ; but I now felt in a purer air.

Tuesday, June 28. . . . The situation of a person in a foreign
country where he cannot speak or understand the language, is
not much to be envied. He need not want the necessaries of life,
indeed ; and he can go from one place to another ; but the incon-
veniences to which he is continually subjected, the ludicrous
figure which he sees himself making, the wonder of staring chil-
dren, the liability to imposition, the want of ability to learn the
news of the day, and especially the want of ability to unite in
public worship, compel him to wish, and if he is placed like me,
to apply himself pretty diligently, to acquire the language.

Thursday, June 30. One cannot go far along the streets of
Gottingen without meeting many of the thousand young men who
came here for study. Quite gentlemanly young men in their
personal appearance they usually are; very much such persons
as the elder class of students at our colleges. Go out at what
time you will, you will see them with their note-books under their
arms, or else walking on the ramparts or without the walls ; and,
towards the dusk of the evening, at their windows, often leaning
out, with their long pipes projecting before them. Many of them
have rather a ridiculous affectation of Avearing mustachios, and
leaving the beard in front of the chin ; of putting on embroidered
coats, or of having a great dog at their heels. When a large
body of young men are collected, something must be done for
the sake of distinction. A very large proportion of the good
houses in the city have, of course, some student residing in them.
I have as yet seen no person whose visage has been disfigured by
a wound received in single combat ; and I have seen very little
that had in the least a turbulent, riotous aspect.

This day closes two months of my absence from home, two
weeks of my residence in Germany. May God grant that the
life He has crowned with mercies may be devoted to His service !

Sunday, July 10. ... I find most enjoyment on Sunday, by
myself, with my Bible and Prayer-Book, and the thoughts of those
who pray for me at home.

Thursday, July 28. It seems something like an obligation to
the memory of distinguished men, to open one's self to the feelings
which the scenes where they have trodden are adapted to excite.
There have been literary giants here ; and as I walk slowly along
the ramparts, as evening approaches, and look abroad over the

30 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

green plains and gentle ascents, the road lined with poplars, the
church-yards by the stream, the academic hall ; or turn my eyes
towards the roofs and towers of the city, I remind myself that
here, under the shade, perhaps, of these same linden trees, look-
ing upon the scene, which fifty or a hundred years may not have
much changed, have passed men whose names are heard in every
land. Haller, Michaelis, Cellarius, Mosheim, Heyne, Berger,
Eichhorn, a host of others, teachers and taught, have given to
this seat of learning much of their own renown. Still, to the
thoughtful spectator of illustrious scenes, constantly recurs the
reflection that time is constantly hurrying on age after age ; and
that whatever value may be set upon learning or magnanimity,
yet human glory is but a transient thing, and something better
and more durable is to be sought.

Tuesday, August i6. Almost everyday, at eleven o'clock, the
bell tolls for a minute or two, affording us a frequent remem-
brance of the necessity of our own preparation by repentance for
our ?ins, and faith in Him who alone can take away the sting of
death. Oh, may I have that complete preparation, whenever
and wherever my hour shall come, and may it be my chief and
constant aim to approve my heart before God, through His grace,
and to labor for my own salvation, and that of my fellow-men !

Sunday, September i8. . . . A candidate in theology, and
a pious man, named Briose, with whom I had formed a slight
acquaintance, called on me in the evening in company with a
young man from Switzerland who has been in England and
studied in Berlin ; and we read a chapter together, conversed on
it and prayed. The Christian spirit is the same everywhere :
O, may I feel it more abundantly in my own heart, and may it be
shed abroad upon my distant friends !

Monday, September 19. Being at the Library, I was shown a
folio copy of an early edition of Luther's translation of the Bible,
with which were bound up specimens of the handwriting of Luther,
Melancthon, Justus Jonas, and others. Of the first two, that of
Luther was perhaps in its day the best ; that of Melancthon is the
larger and more legible. I saw also a Bible from some nation
about the Caspian Sea, written upon long strips of palm leaves,
and each book tied by itself, the whole filling a large case of
drawers.

Sunday, October 2, Quedlinberg. I saw, for the first time, the
Lord's Supper administered in a Lutheran church. There were
perhaps forty or fifty communicants, and the time was after the
morning service. The communicants beirfg seated in the chancel,
one of the clergymen addressed them at considerable length, and
read a few prayers, and chanted also the Lord's Prayer, if I
recollect rightly, and some other appropriate exercises. There

AT EISLEBEN. 37

was also singing on the part of the communicants. Then the
other clergyman entered, and they two having partaken, the
communicants advanced two or three at a time, presented them-
selves before one of the ministers, at the distance of a few feet,
and bowed, then stepped forward and received the bread, which
was by him placed in the mouth of each with certain words which
I could not understand, as the organ was all the time in operation,
accompanied by a few fine youthful voices. Each couple, when
they had received the bread, stepped back, bowed and retired
behind the altar, and coming forth on the other side, received
the cup from the other minister with the same ceremonies. Some
further prayers were read, and the people dismissed. My dear
parents and sister, and many of my friends, probably received
the sacrament this day. There are many obstacles to my recep-
tion of it here; but I look forward in hope to the time when, if
it be the will of God, I may thankfully partake with them of that
holy ordinance; and, above all, to the time when, through His
unspeakable grace and mercy, we may sit down together in His
heavenly kingdom.

Wednesday, October 5, Eisleben. . . . But the house of
Dr. Luther, as the Germans call him, will of course be visited
by the stranger. It is a low building of two stories and moderate
size, at a little distance from the centre of the town, and adjoins
other houses. Its upper part has been burned and restored ;
but the lower remains as formerly. Over the door is the figure
of the reformer with an inscription, and on the window Luther
and Melancthon have long been painted at full length. The room
where the great reformer was born, is occupied as a school for
the children of the poor, and I saw it full of them; it is on the
lower floor as one enters. Above stairs is a collection of curiosi-
ties relating to Luther and the Reformation; specimens of the
handwriting of Luther and Melancthon ; the originals, as I under-
stood it, on parchment, of the letters of indulgence granted by
the Cardinal of Ostia, one of them as old as 1497 ; and the
writing table of Luther, at which I had the satisfaction of sitting
and recording my name among those of the other visitors. And
so here in this house, and in these streets, did that great instru-
ment of Providence first breathe and think and move. And how
much do we owe under divine Providence to that man ! What
consequences have resulted from his courage and perseverance,
his love of the Scriptures, and his zeal for the propagation of
truth. Rough he was, like his strongly marked face ; yet it is
not easy for a Protestant rightly to contemplate his character
without admiration, nor can we duly consider his labors and suc-
cess without hearty gratitude that he was so employed for such
ends.

3S MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Thursday, October 6, Halle. My lodging is near the cele-
brated Orphan House and other foundations of the excellent
Francke. These consist of a very extensive range of buildings,
some four, five or six stories high, surrounding a court several
hundred feet in length, and fronting on an open place. At the
end of this court is a bronze statue of Francke in his gown and
cap, in the act of blessing two children, one of whom holds the
Scriptures. It is an interesting group, and the inscription is
simply the name of the pious founder, with the words, ' He
trusted in God.' There were many boys about the buildings,
and my whole impression was one of admiration at what the
labors and prayers of one devout man had effected; schools,
charities, libraries, so various and so comprehensive. The in-
scriptions which I saw were all very appropriate. Over the
handsome front are a sun and two black eagles, with the passage
from Isaiah : ' They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength ;
they shall mount with wings like eagles.' Nine boys, with their
teacher, this morning, passed, singing, before the doors.

Friday, October 14, Dresden. I have seen the Library, a
most noble one, consisting of more than three hundred thousand
volumes. It occupies the second and third stories of the elegant
Japan Palace, as it is called from the collection of porcelain
which, with some other fine exhibitions, fills the first of this
princely museum. Beside this building is an open public garden,
from which, as well as from the palace, delightful prospects are
in view. Through the Library I was shown, and it appeared to
me larger and certainly much more elegant than that at Gottin-
gen. It is especially rich in history, and has many manuscripts.
So numerous are the copies of the classics, that to each of seve-
ral a whole series of shelves are allotted. Much more care has
been taken, as well as money expended, to have elegant editions,
than at Gottingen. A curious literary and typographical monu-
ment was examined by me : a book, of which a few copies were
printed, containing translations of a few triumphal odes or
pieces on the deliverance of Europe by the allies, into one hun-
dred and fifty languages. Perhaps it is doubtful whether such a
work could have been executed in any other country. This
library is at the command of the citizens, and perfectly accessible
to strangers for purposes of reading and writing. Had circum-
stances allowed, gladly would I have remained a few days to
avail myself a little of the privilege ; but time presses.

Saturday, October 22, Weimar. Here, then, is the city so
renowned in the history of German literature ; the court where a
petty Augustus called together the poets of the land ; and where
the prince of those poets in extreme old age still receives the
applause of his countrymen. These streets, this park, this wood

AT BONN. 39

have been traced and retraced by Wieland and by Schiller ; in
yonder church the voice of Herder has been often echoed ; and
Goethe is still here.

Friday, November 4, Bonn. The transition from travel to rest,
as from rest to travel, is ever apt to be pleasant, and content to
be once more established, although my tour has been one of con-
tinual gratification, I made haste to procure lodgings at Bonn,
not waiting to take a very particular view of the town, for which
I shall have ample time should life and health be spared. The
rooms which I procured are on the third floor of a good four-story
house close by the market and University buildings ; and although
they were perhaps once better than they are now, yet will doubt-
less be sufficient, with a contented mind, to make me comfort-
able. Here I accordingly arranged my articles of use, and began
now to form my plans for attendance upon the lectures, and with
that view waited upon the Secretary and entered my name. A
few of the lectures are begun; others commence on different
days of next week.

Wednesday, November 30. Students are students every-
where ; and the eagerness with which, at the ringing of the bell
telling that the lecture hour is closed, the pen and ink are laid
by, reminds me of old scenes. From that moment little attention
remains for the hasty addition of a few words which the professor
would sometimes make, though he does not mind breaking off
in the middle of a subject.

Saturday, December 3. The life of a German student during
his three years at the University is in some respects peculiar.
Subjected to few restraints, he may follow his inclinations as to
private study, reading, the occupation of his time, company, and
eating and drinking ; and it would be surprising if these young
men did not emerge from the toilsome task of copying, day after
day, several courses of lectures, with a strong relish for some
relaxation. There is, notwithstanding, much devotedness to
study, and perhaps often under circumstances of poverty or want
of future prospects, which might discourage an American. For the
rest, it is the training at the gymnasium, for seven or eight years
in an uninterrupted course of classical study, to which, together
with their large libraries and patient dispositions, I should ascribe
much of the perfection in ancient learning possessed by the Ger-
mans.

Saturday, December 10. I am told that a number of duels
were fought on Tuesday, as many, according to my informant, as
thirty, though that is probably an exaggeration; and that others
were in contemplation. Several wounds were received ; one
student, it is said, had three, the last of which was a cut from one
side of the face to the other. Another, if the story be true, had

40 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

his ear completely taken off; but the skilful surgeon succeeded
in replacing it. This wicked and absurd practice prevails, there-
fore, in no small extent. The theologians, who do not generally
belong to the several associations, are not when so situated ex-
posed to challenges; but those who do belong to them fight, if
they fight at all, with covered faces, as a wound would deprive
them of a future settlement.

Friday, December i6. The occasional cultivation of whis-
kers and moustachios among the German students is not to be
wondered at, and those articles are often not altogether unbecom-
ing. But the fancy of allowing the beard to grow as here and
there a fellow does, is so contrary to modern fashions that it
appears strange and sometimes disgusting. The true cause of it
is, I am apt to suspect, laziness, or at least an indisposition to
shaving, for much trouble is perhaps thus saved. There are two
or three of these beards at the lectures which I attend, and one
of them is accompanied with a long growth of heavy hair be-
hind like a mop. For the rest, boys under nine or ten years are
sometimes to be seen with long yellow hair falling upon their
shoulders.

Monday, December 19. Having now been in Germany six
months, and seen various parts of it, I have had an opportunity
to acquire in a good degree an acquaintance with the character
of the people. I like in them their good nature, patience, integ-
rity, industry, good order ; I dislike their lightness in their views
of sin, which shows itself in various points, especially in the
breach of the third commandment, in the duels among the stu-
dents, and in the disregard of the Lord's day. The religion of
those who are truly religious, so far as I have observed, is warm
and liberal, and perhaps, under all disadvantages, there is more
of it than we may sometimes have imagined.

Sunday, January i, 1832. May this new year be begun,
continued, and, if it please God, ended by me and mine with
good resolutions and holy desires, and virtuous and Christian
habits implanted and confirmed by his Holy Spirit !

Monday, January 9. My great difficulty is to find time
enough for what I want to do. There is so much to be studied,
read, heard, seen, and written, that I do not want employment
from sunrise to midnight. It would be gratifying to look into
the German poets and historians ; to read Tacitus on the spot ; to
see what travellers have thought of this land ; but theology must
have my principal attention, and I am very willing it should.

Sunday, January 29. . . . I still meet with a circle of friends
on Sunday evening to my pleasure, and I hope to my profit.

Saturday, February 18. The burial-ground lies just out of toAvn,
and is a triangular lot of small dimensions, which, but for a num-

AT BONN. 41

ber of old stones set in the outside of the wall, and one or two large
flat ones whose inscription is obliterated, one would be inclined
to suppose recently planned. It is another striking instance of
the national indifference to funeral monuments. Those which
are here, stone, wood, and iron, are the reverse of si)lendor and
often of durability; and probably a large majority of the dead
are entirely without memorial. Niebuhr is buried here, but the
spot may be sought in vain. The wife of Schiller sleeps under
two young trees, such as are planted all around by the wall, with
the simple inscription of her name, birth, and death : ' Here

rests the widow of Frederic von Schiller, born Charlotte .

Born , died .' It was towards sunset when I visited

the place, and, as I returned, I looked towards the west and
thought of my country and friends. France and the ocean lie
between, but God is with us. May we all be his children !

Monday, February 27. . . . In the general cheapness, it is
remarkable that the expenses of a degree at the University are so
great. Although every one, at the expiration of three years, is
entided, after an examination, to his doctorate, yet I am told
that the cost will not fall far short of two hundred rix dollars.
The consequence is that very few take their degree, except the
medical students, for whom it is necessary. Whether they pay
so much I know not.

Thursday, March 8. ... I begin to feel something of pain
at the thought of leaving Bonn so soon, where I have found so
many, such kind, and such excellent friends, and going forth
again amongst strangers. But this pain will soon cease, and
leave the delightful hope of a happy meeting in that blessed king-
dom where there shall be no more painful parting. And for the
rest, I have everywhere the same merciful Protector.

Tuesday, March 13. For more than four months I have not
conversed perhaps more than a quarter of an hour in English,
and I have thus had a good opportunity to experience how fami-
liar one may become with the sound of a foreign language. I
should soon become accustomed to think in German, and indeed
do in part.

Wednesday, March 14. The Wednesday morning sermons of
the students of the Seminary are discontinued ; and this eve-
ning began the series of discourses which is usual during Lent in
the Evangelical Church. Professor Nitzsch preached on the
feeling of our Lord in anticipation of his sufferings and death.
The text was the words of our Saviour when the Greeks sought
to see him, as recorded by St. John. It was a most impressive
and excellent sermon, and left on my mind a sense of the un-
speakable love of our blessed Lord, which I pray may not pass
away.

42 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Sunday, March i8. . . . At our circle of friends this evening,
we had the company of a clergyman of Elberfeld, a place which,
with the surrounding region, is eminently the seat of piety. His
name is Doring ; a man perhaps of fifty ; and I was delighted with
his Christian kindness and warmth, shining forth in all his con-
versation. With the utmost frankness he invited me, if I came
to Elberfeld, to lodge with him; and at parting uttered the truly
comfortable and blessed sentiment: 'Christians never see one
another for the last time.'

Monday, March 19. It is said that Melancthon resided
awhile here in Bonn, in intercourse with the Archbishop of
Cologne in those days, who favored the reformation, and was
compelled to leave his office. This is but a slight association.
For the rest, Beethoven, the great musical composer, was born
here; Niebuhr died here; and August Wilhelm von Schlegel,
though now absent, is still a citizen of Bonn. He is now in Lon-
don, and I regret that I have not the opportunity to hear a single
lecture from him. In his manners he is said to be effeminate
and vain ; but of his exalted powers there can be no doubt. He
is very eminently learned in Sanscrit; in general literature has
few rivals; and his translation of Shakspeare is said to be un-
paralleled in the history of translations.

Tuesday, March 27. . . . Goethe is dead. At the age of
eighty-two he expired gently, having long outlived his renowned
associates, Wieland, Schiller, and Herder. Thus, since I have
been in Bonn, I have received the news of the death of the first
German philosopher and the first German poet of their own, per-
haps of any age, Hegel and Goethe. May I live as I shall wish
that I had done when earthly fame is of no value, and an account
must be rendered for every talent !

Thursday, March 29. A beautiful ■ spring day. I called on
Professor Freytag, and when he learned my intention of leaving
Bonn, he pressed me with such arguments to remain through the
summer, that I was led to serious consideration of the matter,
and although it may show a want of previous reflection, I am
strongly led to adopt his view. He urged the good beginning
which I had made in Hebrew, and the advantage of pursuing it;
that the spring is no time to travel in Switzerland, where he has
been ; and when I consider how much more beneficial in respect
to my profession a thorough exegetical course will be than an
irregular stay for a little while at many places, and add the diffi-
culty of travelling in the South of Europe in the present state of
affairs, everything seems to point to a longer residence in Bonn.

Friday, May 11. I have made arrangements for the summer
lectures. I design to hear Professor Nitzsch's course on Christian
doctrine, and that on the pastoral office; Professor Sack's on

STUDENT LIFE EV GERMANY. 43

what is termed Apologetik; Professor Freytag's on Isaiah; Pro-
fessor Bleek's on the Introduction to the Old Testament ; Pro-
fessor Rheinwald's on Church History and on Ecclesiastical
Antiquities; and Professor Brandis's on Kant's System; eight in
all, four private, and four public; one of six hours, two of five,
two of four, and three of two in the week; thirty hours in all, or
about five hours a day on the average. Many students hear less,
and some more.

Monday, May 14. I have to-day attended four lectures, and
written them all — not so difficult a task as one might imagine.

Saturday, June 23. The sight of one of these vast libraries
is adapted to awaken a train of reflections. What is literary
renown among such a multitude who have gained more or less of
it ! How little can one learn in this short life, could even all of
it be given to learning ! How can a man be puffed up with lite-
rary pride amidst such a host of superiors, himself able to grasp
so little and passing away so soon ! But it is painful to think of
the absolute impossibility of thorough fundamental investigation
with our exceedingly limited means in America. I am almost
disposed to think that our States ought to do something for learn-
ing in their public capacity.

Friday, June 29. . . . I do admire this nation ; they have
less external splendor, but they have minds and hearts.

Sunday, July 15. . . . I am not seldom requested by friends.
Christian friends, to make little excursions on Sunday, which,
according to our views of the day, are at least inexpedient. I
take my ground thereon; that, though many such things may
not be inconsistent with the Divine Law, and may not in such
society less forward my edification and improvement in grace
than my hours at home, yet I will not do that which would fur-
nish ground of objection to enlightened Christians of our view
of the subject; at least not without satisfaction in my own con-
science. Still, there are points and degrees in which the custom
of the land must not be vigorously opposed.

Tuesday, July 17. It is a reflection not altogether without a
momentary sensation of something like pain, that in my country
we are so severed from every relic of past ages. This living
among objects which remind us continually of memorable his-
tories and memorable men, not merely produces an impression
on a boyish fancy, but, if I may judge from experience, exercises
an exalting, enlarging influence on the whole train of feeling and
thought. For an educated man, it is certainly a want which ren-
ders our country in one respect less interesting. But she has
enough, more than enough, to make up fully for the loss. I
think of her with gratitude to God. And if she had no equiva-

44 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

lent for this comparatively little deficiency, she has my friends,
my family ; ten thousand times more to me.

Wednesday, July i8. There is one effect which appears to
be sometimes produced by travelling, but which I desire may
not be produced in me. A traveller sees the best, perhaps, of
a foreign country; he is free from the cares or mortifications
which he may feel at home, and thus, especially upon an Ameri-
can who has nothing similar in his own land, an impression may
be made unfavorable to his love of country, at least unfavorable
to his love of living in his own country ; and a desire may arise
to revisit the places which he has once visited so strong as to im-
pede his usefulness and his happiness. Travelling is, indeed, for
a young man exquisitely pleasant ; but pleasure is not the first
object to be sought. Religion, duty, love, may these ever bear
unshaken rule in my heart !

Tuesday, September 4. . . . The desire to visit the source
of the Danube I had long indulged ; this was the only oppor-
tunity; it would be a thing to tell of; and though I knew it
would detain me, I decided on the excursion. . . . The ascent
to the top of the ridge was long and tiresome. There I found an
open prospect, far over the summits of many a hill in each direc-
tion. A noble pasture country crowns these hills; there is wood
enough, but it is no merely wild, dark forest. On the top of the
hill I found a very comfortable inn in the style of the region,
where I took a bowl of excellent milk with bread, and procured
information of the way to the place which I sought, and which,
I found, is not altogether without resort. I passed along the
hills about two miles, and came to the neighborhood of the spot.
A house and a little chapel had been described to me ; these I
found ; but inquiring of a girl who was driving cows close by, I
could obtain no information ; she did not understand me perhaps ;
in truth it is a strange German which they here speak. While I
was searching, and had fallen upon a wrong fountain, a fellow
appeared with a clear, almost fierce eye, who comprehended
what I would have, and told me that the spot was at a little dis-
tance, but so wild that I could not find it. On this, I asked him
if he would go with me; he said yes, if I would give him a good
drink-money. As he was so special in his demand, I inquired
how much he would have; that, he said, he would leave to me;
'so much as God puts in your mind, give.' So we went together,
and I found him an apparently true-hearted fellow, though I can
imagine circumstances in which I should rather meet a moun-
taineer with a milder eye. Under a few trees, perhaps firs, on
the side of the hill the mightiest river of Europe springs into ex-
istence. When it has rained much, it is visible some feet above
where it now appeared. First there was wet grass, then a little

AT BERLIN. 45

Standing water in the holes; then it flowed. The taste was not
unpleasant. I stood upon the spot at a quarter past five ; and it
is a pleasure to have stood there. There is another branch which
rises a few miles farther on, but which, although about equally
long, bears another name till both unite at Donauschwingen, un-
der the name of the Danube."

After visiting Vienna, Prague, and Frankfort-on-the-Oder, he
thus recorded his arrival at Berlin : —

"Tuesday, February 19, Berlin. Through the continual mercy
and watchful providence of God, I am happily arrived at the
end of this long journey of six months, in excellent health, with-
out experiencing any unpleasant accident of the least importance,
and after very much of enjoyment and instruction. May God be
praised, and may all the fruits of this journey be devoted heartily
to his glory ! Alas, I am not thankful as I should be.

Wednesday, February 27. I was immatriculated to-day, with
the usual ceremony. The present rector is Dr. Meiss, Professor
of Mineralogy. There are only two or three courses of lectures,
the remaining part of which I think it of much importance for
me constantly to attend, such as Schleiermacher's on Biblical
Criticism, and Neander's on the History of Doctrines. These
are of such a description that a part may be heard to advantage
without the rest.

Friday, April 26. As some of the lectures begin next Mon-
day, I have made the necessary arrangements. I design to hear
in the ensuing semester Schleiermacher on the Acts of the Apostles,
Neander on the Minor Epistles of Paul, and on the History of
Doctrines, Hengstenberg on the Book of Job, Steffens on the
Philosophy of Religion, and perhaps Machenicke on the symboli-
cal books of different churches. This will make, with what I
shall less regularly hear, about six hours a day on the average,
at least five. The fees here are high, a louis d'or for each pri-
vate course, and the public courses are comparatively seldom; a
great many students, however, have the fee released, or the pay-
ment postponed till some future period ; a privilege which, in
certain circumstances, the laws allow them to claim.

Wednesday, June 19. As there was to-day an oratorio at the
Garrison Church for the benefit of a charitable institution, I
attended in the wish to see one performance of that description
in this land of music. The piece was the Creation, by Haydn,
and the choir of singers were daughters of citizens of Berlin ; the
musicians were doubtless the best to be procured, and two or
three distinguished male and one female opera singer sang the
duets and solos. There were magnificent parts and fine voices;

46 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

but the whole only confirmed the conviction how unable I am
to judge or to enjoy the highest branches of harmony. One
solitary song, or one plain hymn, makes much more impression
on me.

Thursday, June 20. Who can help admiring at this moment
the spectacle of the British nation ! Slavery is abolished : twenty
millions sterling are to be paid to the planters ; and measures are
to be taken for the education of the liberated slaves. Every
Englishman may find his taxes increased by this measure, but
England will lose nothing by it. The whole measure is a noble
union of religion, philanthropy, justice, generosity, and modera-
tion ; and I feel convinced that a special blessing will attend the
nation which has effected it.

Saturday, July 6. Before I leave Germany I wish to become
better acquainted with some parts of the literature of the land,
especially the poets. Klopstock, Schiller, and Goethe I already
know with some little familiarity, though my time has allowed
me to cultivate my acquaintance but little. Of Herder I know
less, and of Lessing. Claudius I know, and I have been reading
something of Novalis, who died before he had full opportunity to
exhibit to the world his very extraordinary genius. His hymns
are his best remains, and are written with a fire and beauty which,
if more poetical and mystical than tranquilly spiritual, yet find
their way to the religious heart.

Monday, August 12. . . . We separated after Fischbad had
expressed our common feelings in prayer, and I am sure there
was none of us to whom the hour had not a certain holiness.
Our circle has been long united at Bonn and Berlin ; we have
one pursuit, one desire, one Head ; and we do not cease to be
united, however an ocean may part us.

Thursday, August 22. Altona and the grave of Klopstock.
In his lifetime the poet buried here his first wife, the Meta of his
poetry, who died in childbed. Above he placed a sculptured
pair of sheaves, inscribed ' Sheaves sown by God for the harvest
of the resurrection,' and at the bottom, 'Adore Him who also
died, was buried, and arose.' When he died, his second wife
erected to him a similar but larger stone, with the same sheaves
inscribed with the same words, and with a noble inscription for
the poet, mostly his own words, concluding with expressing her
own adoration of 'Him who also died, was buried, and arose.'
She died long after him, and the third and most modest stone is
raised to her with the same sheaves, the same inscription, and
the same call to adore ' Him who also died, was buried, and
arose.' The whole is sublimely and touchingly poetical.

Saturday, August 31. At the close of a severe gale. I thank
God I was enabled to regard danger and death, if they should

AT HOME. 47

be His will, with a confidence and hope which I trust are the
fruits of His grace. So in the midst of storms and raging waters,
yet under the protection of the same kind Father who has guided
me hitherto, closed the twenty-eighth month of my absence from
home, and the summer of 1833.

Thursday, October 31. This day I am twenty-four years old,
and have completed the thirtieth month of my absence. The
last year has been one of most abundant cause for thankfulness
to God, although my life has in no degree corresponded to His
goodness. May He enable me to live during the ensuing year,
if He sees fit to spare me, more to His glory, and prepare me,
now that I have reached such an age, to enter His more imme-
diate service wnth zeal and faithfulness; and may these passing
months and years, which remind me of the close of my earthly
pilgrimage, find me still more assimilated to the glorious king-
dom of the Redeemer ! I think too of Alexander, and solicit
every blessing for him, especially for his soul, from the throne
of inexhaustible grace. How dear he and all my friends are to
me now !

Friday, January 31, Paris. To-day is the end of the thirty-
third month of my absence from home. God has abundantly
blessed me in all this time, and I have very ungratefully repaid
His goodness. I esteem it one of my greatest blessings that I
am continually reminded how uncertain and vain is my expecta-
tion of many days to come, and thus my weak and wicked heart
is drawn more and more away from earth, and led to closer de-
pendence on my Saviour. If it be the will of my Heavenly
Father, may I soon be restored to my dear parents and friends in
health and peace; nevertheless,

'Oh Lord, my God, do thou thy holy will —

I will be still;
I will not stir, lest I forsake thine arm,

And break the charm
That lulls me, clinging to my Father's breast,

In perfect rest.'

Thursday, April 3, New York. And so the mercy of God has
restored me to my country in health and peace; may he give
me a truly thankful and devoted heart !"

Mr. Burgess' European journal is diversified by accounts of
numerous excursions, many of them on foot, which are not ex-
tracted here. No attempt has been made to record all the
religious utterances found on every Sunday or other holy day,
and on every anniversary. Enough have been given to show the
spirit which pervaded at this time, as afterwards, his whole life.

48 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

VIII.
DEVOTIONAL HABITS.

It is with some hesitation that the most private habits of one
so remarkable for his humility and modesty as Bishop Burgess,
are laid open to the public eye; but they cannot be withheld, for
these are just the habits which can be copied by every Christian.
Perhaps the example may have the greater influence, because he
never seemed to do anything for the mere sake of setting an ex-
ample ; if it was his duty, he did it, and left the example to take
care of itself. This simplicity, this singleness of mind made
him always consistent, though, in considering a particular course
of conduct, he never asked, Is it consistent? but only. Is it right?
and then, perhaps. Is it at this time, or under these circumstances,
expedient ?

But prayer was with him eminently more than the fulfilment of
a duty : it was a delight and a constant source of comfort and
strength.

It would, perhaps, be difficult for the world to realize that a
man, so constantly occupied, could find so much time for prayer
as he found. His seasons of prayer were frequent rather than
prolonged. His prayers were of the most simple, quiet, unim-
passioned character ; as Doddridge's prayers have been described,
' ' business-like. ' ' Or rather they were like the requests of a child
to his father; of a child who is in earnest, and yet willing to
accept a denial, if his father thinks a refusal best for him. He
never or seldom experienced those hours of ecstatic communion
with God, of which one sometimes reads, and which are so dis-
couraging to ordinary, common-place Christians; but every act was
sanctified by prayer. He never left his study to attend a service,
nor returned to it afterwards, without a few moments of prayer.
If he were going on a journey, he knelt for a minute, in company
with the nearest members of his family, to ask upon it a blessing.
When first rising in the morning, he used some forms of prayer,
generally those found in Jenks' Devotions ; then followed a short
period of silent, private supplication, and afterwards one chapter

DEVOTIONAL HABITS. 49

in the Old Testament and one in the New, were read before leav-
ing the room. Afterwards came family prayers, which were never
omitted, even when Roman Catholic servants were forbidden to
join him in prayer, and the family consisted only of the two who
had already read and prayed together.

Of his more private seasons of devotion he seldom spoke,
though he never concealed them. Indeed, it would be impossi-
ble for any person to combine more perfectly the idea of secret
prayer with an entire freedom from embarrassment or shame re-
specting its existence. He obeyed the injunction to enter into
his closet and shut the door; but he did not bolt and bar it, lest
he should be discovered ; and when he has seen the key turned
to prevent interruption, he has given a gentle reproof, saying
that Christians ought not to be ashamed to be caught on their
knees.

On one or two occasions, when talking freely but confidentially,
he mentioned some of his habits. Three times every day, in
his private morning and evening devotions and at noon, he
prayed by name for every clergyman and candidate for orders
in the Diocese. About nine o'clock in the morning, he gave a
few minutes to meditation and prayer for humility and repent-
ance; about three in the afternoon, for preparation and readiness
to die. At some convenient time, in the early part of the even-
ing, before his mind was too much wearied by the labors of the
day, he devoted a short time to self-examination and prayer.
Between nine and ten came family prayers, and towards mid-
night he read from Jenks' Devotions, closing again with more
private petitions. On Sunday, before going to the morning
service, he prayed for all "spiritual pastors," and at noon for
increase of love to God and charity to all men. On occasions
when the Holy Communion was received, he used special prayers
both before and after the service, and at some early hour on
Sunday evenings he offered a variety of prayers for many classes
of persons, concluding with petitions for each member of his
own family. During Lent, his devotional exercises were some-
what increased.

It might be supposed that his plans would often be disturbed,
perhaps entirely deranged by company ; but this was seldom the
4

50 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

case. A caller might sometimes oblige him to postpone his re-
tirement for a short time, but if the visit was to be one of longer
duration, and his study was occupied, he would quietly place
within his friend's reach a newspaper, or leave him to converse
with some other member of the family, and, without attracting
attention, even by an apology, slip off to his own room for a few
minutes. He never allowed travelling to interfere with the full
discharge of these duties. Cars never left so early in the morn-
ing or arrived so late at night as to furnish him with an excuse for
omitting his regular devotional exercises; and when compelled
to ride all day in a crowded stage, he has said to his travelling
companion : "I would not have you think that I have passed the
day without prayer ; I have tried to use such seasons of quiet as
were afforded me."

The public fasts established by the church were openly and
thoroughly observed in his family, even after his failing health
might have furnished some reason for relaxation ; but on Fridays
and other occasions, when he may have considered fasting recom-
mended rather than enjoined, his abstinence Avas such that he
"appeared not unto men to fast." When first a housekeeper,
he considered the question how far it was best to distinguish such
days by some change in the arrangements of his table ; and he
decided that he had no right, at such times, to force others un-
willingly to fast ; and as his house was always open to a great
variety of guests, he thought it better to make no alteration in
his table, but to deny himself in the quantity rather than in the
quality of his food.

He was a faithful and devout reader of Holy Scripture. Upon
his study table and his bedroom table, there always lay a Bible,
usually open. He wore out several pocket Bibles. Some years
ago he commenced reading the Bible at intervals, systematically,
a verse at a time, accompanied by meditation. The first thing
ill the morning, the last thing at night, he took up a verse ; each
time that he left the house for a walk, he carried one with him ;
how often this occurred during the day, it would be impossible
to say. This habit he continued to the last of his life.

Before sleeping, he was accustomed to repeat Bishop Ken's

DEVOTIONAL HABITS. 51

Evening Hymn, ''Glory to Thee, my God, this night," and in
the morning the 156th hymn of the Prayer-Book,

" Father, whate'er of earthly bliss
Thy sovereign will denies."

It was because he prayed so without ceasing that it was said of
him, " His devoutness was so constant that we can hardly think of
him as having devotional periods."

In addition to his ordinary seasons of devotion, occasions for
extraordinary prayers were never forgotten. The beginning and
end of the year ; his own birthday ; the various seasons of the eccle-
siastical year ; each in its turn was made a season for special and
appropriate prayers. For many years it was his practice on each
birthday to write a prayer, followed by resolutions for the coming
year.

An example is here given, the earliest in date, which he had
framed.

Oct. 31, 1831.

"O Almighty Father, my Creator, Preserver, Benefactor,
Redeemer and Sanctifier, at the close of another year of my short
life I appear before thee, to praise and bless thee for the mercies
of the past year, to confess my grievous sinfulness in thy holy
sight, and to implore thy continued goodness during the succeed-
ing period which thou shalt see fit to grant me upon earth. Sanc-
tify, I pray thee, and solemnize my heart ; make it thankful,
humble, obedient, and resigned : and may my present offering be
accepted with thee, for the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, our only
Saviour and Mediator.

When I look back, O Lord, upon the course of my life, what
benefit is it possible for man to receive which thou hast not
bestowed upon me ? Health, which was never taken away except
for my spiritual good ; friends for whose kindness, example, and
prayers, I have continual cause to praise thee ; liberty, peace,
competence, education ; the calls and warnings of thy providence,
the means of grace, the invitations, and, I hope, the prevailing
motions of thy Spirit ; all hast thou given to me, notwithstanding
the hourly provocations of which I have been guilty. During
the past year have I also experienced the abundance of thy good-
ness. My life, so often threatened, thou hast still preserved,
giving me time and space for repentance and thy service. Sepa-
rated from my friends, thou hast guarded me across the ocean,
and through difficult regions, giving me opportunities of instruc-

52 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

tion and enjoyment which many desire in vain, and, so far as I
yet know, thou hast kept those who are near and dear to me, in
peace and safety. Thou hast permitted me to continue those
studies which I trust, if thou shalt see fit to spare me, may be
directed to thy glory. Thou hast called me by thy grace, hard
as my heart has been, to greater holiness and a renewed walking in
thy fear and love ; and by continually repeated warnings, hast
made me to feel my frailty and the vanity of earthly things. O
heavenly Father, give me, I beseech thee, a thankful heart, de-
voted to thy praise and service, and anxious above all things to
do thy holy will, and to grow in knowledge and grace.

I confess, most gracious God, my sin and unthankfulness, and
that I have been so far from deserving the least of thy mercies,
that most justly mightest thou take them all from me, and cut me
off as a cumberer of thy ground. Another year has fled, and I
am so much nearer to the grave ; but how little does my progress
towards heaven appear. Alas ! I have been cold, exceedingly
cold, in my affections towards thee, who art the worthiest of all
love, and have suffered my heart to be taken up with worldly
things, forsaking the fountain of all living waters to hew to
myself the broken cisterns that can hold no water. I have had
murmuring and rebellious thoughts of thee, whose dispensations,
like thy law, are all holy and just anci good. I have felt prayer as a
burdensome duty, not as a delightful privilege, and have preferred
to it the transitory enjoyments of this world. I have been very
cold and indifferent in thy public service, too little valuing the
ordinances from which I am now separated, and too little inclined
to those in which I am now permitted to join. I have been
unfaithful and unkind to my dear relations, while I was yet in
their society. I have been uncharitable and proud towards my
fellow men, and cared too little for their souls ; especially have
I failed in my duty towards the children who were formerly
committed in part to my religious instruction ; nor have I taken
such interest as I ought in the means adopted for the conversion
of my fellow-sinners. I have loved too much the pleasures of
the world, which so draw away the heart from God. I have
been too fond of the riches of this earth, not valuing enotigh the
treasures in heaven, nor feeling enough for the poor and dis-
tressed. I have not governed my tongue as I ought, nor re-
strained it from unprofitable, uncharitable, and mischievous dis-
course, nor spoken, when I should, to thy glory and the good
of souls. I have been negligent of what concerned my present
duty, not improving the precious time according to its value. I
have looked too much at, and for happiness in this life, and with-
out reference to thee, without whom there is no true happiness.

O Lord my God, forgive me all this my sin, for the sake of

BIR THDA V PR A ] 'ER. 5 3

thy Son Jesus Christ, who hath borne our sins and fully satisfied
thy divine justice. Without thy grace, I feel that I can do
nothing that is good : O, give me such sincere contrition for what
is past, such faith in thy mercy, and such love to thee as shall mani-
fest in me the fruits of thy spirit. Let me constantly feel a deep
and truly humble sense of my unworthiness, and adore thee for
thy unspeakable condescension, long-suffering and loving kindness.
May my heart be supremely devoted to thee, entirely resigned to
thy holy pleasure, and rejoicing to do thy will ; and oh, enable
me from henceforth so to live as shall more glorify thee, more
satisfy my conscience, and give me more evidence that I am indeed
a child of God and a partaker of thy grace. May I delight in
prayer to thee, in holy exercises of heart, and in all that shall
prepare me for the joys of thy heavenly kingdom, that I may
have not only the form, but the power of godliness. May I be
diligent to discharge every duty as it arises, anxious to do good
to others, and content with whatever thou seest fit to appoint ;
committing all my cares to thee, thankful for all temporal bless-
ings, not solicitous for future wealth, but loving the treasures at
thy right hand, and striving to increase the happiness and save
the souls of others ; ever pitiful, charitable, meek, and forgiving ;
ever remembering that life is hastening to its close, that I must
render an account ; and holding myself in such a temper in re-
gard to all earthly enjoyments that I may always be ready to
leave them. May I always feel those vows of God that now,
for three years, are upon me ; and may I diligently labor to pre-
pare myself for the sacred calling to which I have esteemed it
my duty to devote myself: and ever adorn the doctrine of God
my Saviour in all things. Make me faithful in speaking to thy
glory, fearing no shame or ridicule in thy cause. Keep me from
all covetousness and envy. Grant me grace to keep the good
resolutions which thou shalt put into my mind ; to exercise Chris-
tian self-denial, to keep my body in subjection, and to grow
wiser and better as long as thou continuest me in life.

Another year is now begun : with thee are the issues of life,
and thou knowest whether I shall be spared to its close, or taken
away before the arrival of another birthday. Lord, give me an
heart to say, not my will, but thine be done; and to rejoice in
hope of the glory of God. If I live, may I live in thy faith
and fear; and if I die, whether suddenly or by lingering disease,
may I be found with my loins girded about, and my lamp
trimmed and burning. O Lord, search me and try me, that I
may not be found wanting ; correct me in whatever thou seest
amiss ; let not my vile heart harden itself against thy holy motions ;
but may thy grace triumph in me, that I may not come short of

54 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

that heavenly inheritance which my blessed Saviour has bought
for me.

Look, also, I pray thee, O Lord, in unspeakable mercy, upon
my dear youngest brother, of whose birth this is likewise the
anniversary. Protect him from all dangers, and especially from
the spiritual dangers to which his youth is exposed. Renew and
sanctify his heart; fill it with the fear and love of thy holy
name; bless him in his studies; spare him through the ensu-
ing year, if consistent with thy will, and prepare him to be a
comfort to his friends, and an instrument of thy glory ; but oh,
prepare him to die; if young, in the bloom of youthful piety;
if older, after a life spent in some good measure in thy service.

Bless my beloved and honored parents ; all my dear brothers
and sisters; my relations and friends; conduct us all in peace
and holiness through this pilgrimage of life : in every scene let
our hearts be with thee ; and finally, of thy rich mercy, receive
us to thyself, to love and serve thee perfectly and forever, and
forever to ascribe all the glory of our salvation to thee, the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Resolutions for the etisuing year. Oct. 31, 1831.

1. To live, through the grace of God, in constant preparation
to die.

2. To think much of heaven, that I may look rightly upon all
that belongs to this life.

3. To labor, that my heart, with God's help, may not be drawn
away from Him by anything which I see.

4. To be charitable, and to use rightly the competence which
is allowed me.

5. To prepare for the sacred office with diligence and a right
sense of its solemn duties and responsibility.

6. To pray, through the divine grace, fervently and constantly.

7. To improve my opportunities of information.

8. To be industrious and dedicate all my acquisitions and works
to God.

9. To endeavor to attain such experimental acquaintance with
the truth, that I may never be turned from it.

10. To love the servants of God wherever I find them.

These resolutions I pray that I may be enabled to keep, through
the Holy Spirit, in whose strength alone may I trust. Amen."

It was his custom to record in a Diary, in few words, parish
duties performed, letters received or written, and events of the
day. Often will be found among briefest notes a few devout

HABITS OF PR A YER. 55

words, or the first line of some hymn or a verse of Scripture,
selected for the day's meditation.
These are a few instances: —

" Jan. ist, 1854. Prayed earnestly for grace to serve God more
cheerfully and faithfully through all my coming days.

Dec. 31st, 1857. The year closes with many blessings. Give
me, O God, a more feeling heart, full of thanks and humility.

Oct. 31st, 1858. My birthday and my dear brother's, and the
anniversary of my consecration. A day of cheerful prayer and
of humiliation; as well, I trust, as of strength and gain.

Jan. ist, i860. May the blessing of my gracious Lord be with
me and all mine in this new year, forgiving, protecting and pre-
serving us to eternal life !

Oct. 31, 1865. My birthday, far from home, but not without
prayer and communion with the gracious Lord of life, in whose
hands are the issues of mine.

Dec. 31st, 1865. (The day on which he reached Havana.) It
was the close of the year as well as of our voyage, and for me
there was everything to stir up my heart to repentance, prayer,
and trust, as well as to thanksgiving."

His devout frame of mind was so habitual that it appeared to
cost him no effort to lift up his heart to God at any moment, to
turn to prayer from any occupation. To an afflicted friend, he
said, "I will pray for you," not whenever I say my prayers, but
"whenever I think of you." And she never doubted that he
did send up to heaven a supplication for her whenever her trials
recurred to his mind.

At one period, he felt great anxiety about a friend who had
gone astray and had rejected all his efforts toward return to godli-
ness. At length, after years of separation, he received a letter
from him telling him all that he most wished to hear. As he
read it, he said with emotion: "For this I have prayed every
day for ten years." Well may those who are left behind mourn
his loss.

" For where he resteth, evermore one constant song they raise
Of 'holy, holy,' so that tiow we know not if he prays."

A few incidents and facts furnished by a member of the family
will serve still further to illustrate his heavenly habit of mind.

56 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

his reverence for holy things, and his desire that all which was
done in the church should be done devoutly and fitly.

One snowy day when for some reason there was service in the
church, two of the family going rather early happened to be the
only persons there for a short time. As they stood by the regis-
ter, and the Bishop passed them on his way to the vestry-room,
one of them said to him, "There will be no one here but us and
the sexton." "Yes," he answered, "there will be One more,"
and from his tone they could not but know that he was thinking
of Him who promised to be present where two or three only
were gathered together in His name.

When a lady said how glad she was to have a pleasant Sunday,
he replied, "Yes, it seems to speak to us of a better world."

Once, when some books had been carelessly laid on a Bible,
he removed them, saying, "Never put any books on the Bible;
that is one of my old superstitions."

He would neither listen to a story which connected a ludicrous
association with a passage of Scripture, nor repeat it. He charged
a clergyman, who was superintending the erection of a new
church, to see that the kneeling facilities in the pews might be
such as to leave no excuse for the unseemly custom of kneeling
to the seat, with back or side to the Holy Table ; and also that
the wardens should be reminded never to count a collection
within the chancel, and especially not upon the altar.

He cautioned those over whom he had influence never to
leave the vestry-room to perform divine service without first
ascertaining that their vestments were properly arranged. And
to a young clergyman who came to his study in Hartford dressed
in a coarse, brown linen coat, he said, "Now that you are ad-
mitted to Holy Orders, I wish you would always dress like a
clergyman." A lay reader selected a sermon written by one
who had been deposed from the ministry for causes affecting his
moral character. He did not know the fact, but when he sub-
mitted his choice to Mr. Burgess for his approval, he said, "You
must not read this sermon to a congregation, for no man who
has been so displaced from the ministry should ever be heard in
the church afterwards."

The following from the pen of the Rev. George W. Durell,

HABITS OF PRAYER. 57

for sixteen years of his Episcopate a Deacon and Presbyter in
his diocese, and ordained by him to both orders, may form a
fitting conclusion to this section.

"On the 14th of June, 1859, when at Calais, I was requested
by Bishop Burgess to go to Houlton and make such arrangements
as I could for the celebration of our services on the following
Sunday, and he, going by the way of Bangor, would meet me
there on Thursday. Houlton is the shire-town of a vast
county in the northeastern part of Maine, a place beautiful for
situation, and of growing importance. Though the journey
thither was ninety miles by an open stage, and a large part of
the way through an unbroken forest, it was undertaken with
special pleasure, for it was to reward me- with a Aveek of such
close intimacy with my dear Bishop as would enable me to know
more of his daily life, and particularly what were his habits of
private devotion. This reward was more ample than I had ex-
pected, and I shall cherish with gratitude the delightful recollec-
tions of that week, for then there were many new traits of his
character revealed to me which increased my admiration for him
as truly a great man ; and then I learned the secret of much of
his power to persuade, convince, and move men.

At the time appointed, the stage, crowded with pioneers,
brought the Bishop. I was struck with the marked and kindly
deference which these rough men showed him. I afterwards
found that during the early part of the journey with them the
Bishop had so rebuked their profanity, that they all expressed
their regret for such rudeness in his presence, and for this sin,
as they frankly acknowledged it to be. It is hardly necessary
to say the offence was not repeated.

Several of the more prominent gentlemen of the place called
upon the Bishop, of whom they all seemed to have heard much.
Among them some were Roman Catholics, and some Unitarians ;
and here, as well as afterwards at their houses, I was impressed
with his easy bearing, and free, pleasant conversation, showing
the cultivated Christian gentleman.

When I reached Houlton, I was shown to an excellent and
well-furnished room, as I suspected at the time, the best which
the inn afforded. The next day, upon the arrival of the Bishop,
he was conducted to one far inferior, but he positively refused to
exchange. His own proposal to share with me the more con-
venient room was gladly accepted.

The Rev. Mr. Street, the courteous and successful Rector of
Woodstock, New Brunswick, had kindly come to meet the Bishop
and to assist in the Sunday duties. It was late when we separated
for the night, and on coming to our room the Bishop said, ' Let

58 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

US have family prayers. ' I read the Lessons for the Day at his
request, and he read the prayers appointed to be read in families,
with no variation whatever in the form except to add, ' continue
thy gracious protection to us and ours this night.' He had often
spoken to me of his great and constantly increasing fondness un-
der all circumstances for prescribed forms of prayer, but more
especially for those of the Book of Common Prayer.

When about to retire, he took a manual of private devotions,
and, kneeling down, he read for some minutes, then closing the
book, he remained a long time in prayer. Again, he opened the
book, and again he communed with his God, and this act of de-
votion was continued about an hour. When I awoke a little after
daylight, I saw the holy Bishop kneeling in the same spot and
engaged in the same duties. Such, I found, were his habits of
daily devotion. And afterwards, as my guest, when he was heard
in his chamber long after others slept, and in the morning long
before others rose, we needed none to tell us why he denied
himself bodily rest. We no longer wondered that men, as he
walked the streets, should pause to look upon the saintly expres-
sion of his face. It was the fair index of a character formed by
such habits of self-watchfulness and personal devotion as are
rare in any age."

IX.

ADMISSION TO HOLY ORDERS.

Returning home from Europe, the scene of much of his pre-
paration for the ministry, in April, 1834, Mr. Burgess received
Deacon's Orders in Grace Church, Providence, on the tenth of
June, at the hands of Bishop Griswold. On the following Sunday,
June 15, he preached his first sermon, in the same Church, from
Romans vi. 23 : "The wages of sin is death." Though detached
passages can convey but an imperfect idea of a sermon, a few ex-
tracts will be given to show something of the spirit and the style
of the young preacher.

" How variously the law of God is imparted to mankind. It
is not merely written in the precepts of the New Testament; it
was not only expounded by our Saviour on the mount ; not only
uttered midst lightnings and thunders from the thick darkness
that enveloped the brow of Mount Sinai ; it has been written in

THE FIRST SERMON. 59

the pages of every moralist that ever wrote; written, though often
amidst many errors and corruptions, yet written in the instruc-
tions of philosophers, of teachers, and even of the founders of
false religions ; written in the laws of every land ; written in the
memory of successive generations, and handed down from father
to son since the beginning of the world ; written on the heavens
and the earth ; written in the sympathies and affections, and sense
of truth and justice which are alive in all of us ; written in the
breast of every human being in every land and every age, who
has not wanted the universal gifts of reason and of con-
science."

" From the internal dispositions spring up the external fruits;
ingratitude to God goes on to forgetfulness of his presence, re-
bellion against his will, contempt of his word, impiety, blas-
phemy, atheism ; indifference towards our brethren grows up,
under the excitement of circumstances, into wrath, hatred, malice,
murder ; carelessness of the truth becomes, in a little while, flat-
tery, deceit, slander, falsehood, perjury; devotion to our own
advancement, with little regard to the means, begets envy, con-
spiracy, sedition, treason ; the love of money passes into avarice,
meanness, extortion, theft, plunder ; the pursuit of sensual enjoy-
ment into luxury, drunkenness, lasciviousness, fornication, adul-
tery, seduction. 'When lust has conceived,' says St. James,
' it bringeth forth sin ; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death.' " . . . .

" 'The wages of sin is death.' That death, in the sense in
which the Scriptures thus speak of it, is more than the dissolution
of the body, is evident because it is always contrasted with the
life which the Saviour imparts to those who believe in him ; and
yet none of these is exempted from the dissolution of the body.
But as the life which the Christian receives is more than mere
existence, is the perfection of his capacities, the enlargement of
his sphere, the purification of his moral powers, in a word, is
the only true life, the life in God, so the death of the impenitent
is more than mere corporeal extinction, is the opposite of all that
more exalted life of the spirit, is entire exclusion from the only
source of perfection and felicity. Before the fall, it was distinctly
declared to the father of mankind, ' in the day that thou eatest
of the fruit of the tree, thou shalt surely die.' He ate, and
died ; and the spiritual death which then fell upon him and his
race may enable us so far to conceive of the horror of eternal
death, as to value and to lay hold upon the sure hope of deliver-
ance. Imagine that no promise of redemption had intervened ;
that no chosen people had been preserved ; that no voice of God
had spoken in the soul of man ; but conscience too had died or
lived only to torment ; that no message had passed from above

6o MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

to the forsaken race ; that even the sentiment of religion or of
superstition, which seemed still to link the Pagans with a higher
world, had been utterly extinguished; that the passions, appetites,
and lusts of men had been let loose without a single rein ;
that one great principle of sordid, grovelling, hateful selfishness
had been the governing spring of all human conduct ; and that all
this had been without a prospect, without a hope, without a wish
after restoration to holiness and to God ; this would have been
the spiritual death without mitigation." ....

" Gladly would every Christian, if submission to the will of the
Most High allowed, seek for some ground of confidence that the
impenitent soul might at last be rescued ; most gladly would we
find some declaration of the word of God, which, without en-
couraging the sinner here, might lead us to believe that he may
hereafter be admitted to a saving faith in Jesus Christ ; but the
truth cannot be disguised, and must not be shunned ; the Scrip-
tures contain no such declaration ; they warrant no such confi-
dence ; they speak, in respect to those who die in unbelief, but
of everlasting condemnation, of a worm that dieth not and a fire
that is not quenched ; they know of no future work of redemp-
tion." ....

"The Scriptural representations of the happiness of heaven
render certain little beside its spiritual and moral nature. Those
of the Apocalypse are, like the descriptions of that book, poetical
and figurative in the very highest degree. Those of the other
writings of St. John are simple, but abstract and spiritual.
Those of St. Paul give us clearer images, but still little more than
images. Those of the Saviour himself are clearest of all, but
they reveal not what would gratify a needless curiosity, but what
should determine our choice and animate our zeal." ....

"■ Believe then not, my brethren, the horrible suggestions of
the enemy of man, or of the deep, deep corruption within us,
that God is severe and cruel, that He is the object of fear, and
not of love ; that His service is a dark and gloomy and austere
succession of compelled submissions ; that He has decreed capri-
ciously and will execute unrelentingly: believe them not, for, on
the faith of the word of God, they are not true. Turn to that
clear, that blessed saying of your Redeemer, yes, your Redeemer,
the Redeemer of you all ; the best has as real need of Him as the
worst; for the worst He died, as well as for the best ; turn to that
saying of His which should annihilate all such suggestions : ' God
sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world ; but that
the world through Him might be saved.' If He so provided a
way of acceptance. He must accept ; if He loved the obstinate
sinner. He must love the returning penitent. He does, my
brethren ; and let it not be altogether in vain that the message of

FIRST SERMON IN HA R TFORD. 6 r

His love has been now declared: 'the wages of sin is death; but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' "

Soon after his ordination, Mr. Burgess received an invitation to
take charge of St. James' Church, New London, Connecticut, and
before giving his answer he went to Hartford to consult Bishop
Brownell. Bishop Brownell having at that time the charge of
Christ Church during a vacancy, detained him to assist him on
the following Sunday, July 20, when he preached from Revela-
tion xxii. 17 : "And the Spirit and the Bride say. Come. And
let him that heareth say. Come. And let him that is athirst come.
And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." A
few extracts from his first sermon to the congregation, to whom he
ministered thirteen years, will not be read without interest.

" Before the close of the word of God, one passage intervenes.
It is not a condemnation of the guilty to despair ; it is not an
exclusion of the unworthy from the paradise of God ; it is not a
suggestion of difficulties to be surmounted ; it is not a declaration
that there are few that be saved ; it is an invitation, an invitation
to the eternal city and to the river of life ; an invitation without a
limit ; an invitation from the highest and holiest sources, given in
charge to every messenger, and sent, as it were, on every wind,
and addressed to all that hear, and to all that will. With nothing
else could the Scriptures close, but with the fullest, broadest,
loudest invitation of grace and love." ....

" The first bearer of the invitation of whom the text speaks is
the Spirit, evidently, the divine and Holy Comforter. His office
is to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment,
and, when he has thus prepared the heart for the reception of the
glad tidings of salvation, then to pour into it all the riches of
grace and consolation and spiritual communion with the Father
and the Son." .... "When, therefore, in the still worldly
and unbelieving, something appears, however faint, yet arousing
or alluring to the purity of vital religion, this we must judge to be
the call of the Spirit. When, in the hours of silent reflection,
the inquiries. What am I, and Whither am I tending, force them-
selves upon us ; when some awakening dispensation reminds us
with a voice of thunder that we are living on the verge of death,
and living for hell or heaven ; when some distinguished deliver-
ance or unexpected mercy makes it impossible not to cry out :
'What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits?' the deep
feeling that we might be, should be, and may be heirs of a nobler
and more perfect happiness than we now possess, comes to us

62 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

almost like a recollection of Paradise ; when the sense of a
separation from God is made painful and oppressive to our souls;
when, after vicious indulgence and gratified folly, follows the bit-
ter draught of remorse ; when we sit and tremble under the pow-
erful enforcement of the word of God, and fain would escape to
our hiding-places of lies, and yet find it there pressing upon us;
when, even while we hate and resist the truth, we still are com-
pelled to feel that it is the truth ; in all this, though we know not
whence the wind of divine grace cometh, or whither it goeth,
yet we may hear its whisperings or its rushings. It is the Spirit
calling us to come.

Conjoined with the Holy Comforter in this blessed act of in-
vitation appears the Bride, the Church of Christ, whom the Scrip-
tures beautifully represent as united to her Lord in an affection
and a sacredness like those of a marriage. The ordinances and
communion of the Church were instituted and have been pre-
served not merely for the comfort, support, and edification of
such as were already its spiritual members, but also that it might
shine forth in the world, a city not to be hid, and by good works,
and solemn rites, and lasting institutions, spread abroad the call
of the Redeemer."

"Infant Baptism, at the very threshold of existence, calls
alike the child, the parent, and all who see and hear, to the
water of life. Religious instruction in youth, whether it be
by the catechism, the Sunday School, or otherwise, whether
through the pastor, the sponsor, the teacher, or the parent, is
another call of the Church. So is the summons, at a riper age,
to adopt for ourselves the Christian profession ; so is the weekly
worship of the Lord's day; so is every sermon, every treatise,
every prayer, every hymn, proceeding from those who are espe-
cially appointed to administer the ordinances of religion ; so is
the public and solemn celebration of the Lord's Supper ; so is
every one of the vast number of means by which religion is every
hour externally urged upon our attention. A heavy guilt of negli-
gence may, indeed, rest upon the Church of Christ ; but surely
none of us, my brethren, can at the last extenuate our obstinate
rebellion against God, by the plea that we did not sufficiently
hear her call.

The exhortation follows, 'Let him that heareth say Come.'
It expresses as well the duty, as what must be the warm desire
of all who receive and embrace the word with true and honest
hearts. In a certain sense, my Christian brethren, we are all
preachers of the Gospel, and may say with St. Paul, ' woe is unto
us if we preach it not.' " . . . .

" Besides such as officiate in the pastoral character, such as
publicly teach, and all who write in the cause of religion, those

FIRS T SERMON IN II A R TFORD. 63

preach the Gospel, too, who bring up their children in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord, those who render comfort to the
afflicted and support to the dying, those who, with generous
boldness, attempt to check the profligate on his course of ruin, and
all those who, themselves enlightened by the word and the grace
of God, strive, in whatever way, to open the eyes and direct the
path of their fellow men, to light and immortality." ....

"Sometimes, when derision of religious truth rises in our pre-
sence, almost to blasphemy, and many, perhaps, are waiting for
our words to confirm their tottering courage or faith, our
languid smile betrays how much more we feel of desire to retain
the favor of all, than of pain that the Gospel is wronged, and
the souls of our brethren endangered. Sometimes, when the
disposition of those whom we address is most favorable, we
content ourselves with a mere general remark, true, indeed, and
perhaps exceedingly valuable, but without animation or love ; at
other and more difficult times, we hide ourselves under a caution,
which is to be used with the utmost caution, and excuse ourselves
from throwing our pearls before swine." ....

"Labor not so much, my brethren, to talk about religion,
as to feel, and then of course talk, religiously. Frame not
too many resolutions for regulating your conduct in this par-
ticular ; but let the grace of God keep your hearts in a frame
always to delight in repeating the call of the Spirit and the Bride,
to come.

He who speaks in the text is the Lord Jesus Christ, who last
addresses the invitation of grace. He sent the Spirit to awaken
the slumbering world ; He chose the Bride, and charged her by
his love, to be faithful, in spreading the call ; He commands each
individual believer to aid in propagating the glad tidings of great
joy ; and He Himself, as well in the text as in the words which
He spoke upon earth, gives to all generations the freest, fullest
invitation to glory, life, and immortality." ....

" Having thus considered the persons by whom the invitation
comes, the Spirit, the Church, the individual believer, and the
Lord of life, let us now observe the persons to whom it is ad-
dressed. This is an easy task, for if any invitation could be uni-
versal, it is surely this. No person is excluded but those who
will not come, those who are not athirst for the waters of life to
which we are invited ; and this is indeed no exclusion." ....

"All are indeed invited; but no man will come until he is
athirst for the water of life, and the Scripture does not at all
suppose it possible that others should come. They who love,
and are satisfied with the intoxicating draughts which the world
off'ers, how should they relish the pure simple water of holy joy
and peace ? They who have as they imagine no need of restora-

64 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

tion, why should they repair to the healing Bethesda of the
Gospel?" ....

" But others there may be, who feel in themselves the
earnest wish after the benefits of redemption, but doubt of the
sincerity of their love to Christ and of their hatred of sin ; who
see the necessity of the living waters, but are not sensible of a
burning thirst that ' longeth after God as the hart after the water
brooks. ' To such the Lord addresses the language of encourage-
ment, when He says, ' Whosoever will, let him take the water of
life freely.' Come from whence it may the will to taste, the
command is alike to all ; and how many of us would be found
among the ranks of the redeemed, if only those were reckoned
who came with that burning thirst, if all those were excluded in
whose breasts the work of renovation began amidst uncertainty
and slowness and fear? Only we must not be content till our
love increase ; one draught from the fountain must make us re-
turn to it with a livelier relish and a warmer desire : we must
not disguise from ourselves the necessity of our complete rescue
from that bondage to which our hearts tell us we have not
altogether ceased to submit.

The third point which it was proposed to consider, is the pur-
port itself of the invitation." ....

"Sometimes, my brethren, the Scriptures paint the work of
salvation as a toilsome conflict with many and potent adversa-
ries ; sometimes as a laborious journey to a distant unseen land ;
sometimes as a straight and narrow path ; sometimes they sum-
mon us to be prepared at its entrance for the sacrifice of that
which clings most strongly to our natural affection ; sometimes
they exhort us to escape and flee like Lot to the mountain from
the wrath to come ; but in our text, we are called to regard it in
no other light than as a free gift of infinite value, which costs us
nothing but the acceptance ; as a refreshment, unspeakably more
delightful than that which the bubbling stream presents to the
weary, parched, and sinking traveller of the desert. At another
time we will arm ourselves for the conflict, we will gird up our
loins for the journey ; we will think of the straightness of the
way ; we will brace ourselves for self-denial ; we will speak with
trembling of the destruction we are called to shun ; but at present
we will only gaze at the River of Life, and linger for a moment
upon its brink, till, with the blessing of God, we are allured to
taste of the waters. It is but to come and freely to take, of what?
of life, of the water of eternal life. In that one word, life, in its
truth and reality are comprehended the full exercise of all our
lofty capacities and all our happy affections, the close union with
the origin and centre of our being ; and after these is there need
to mention that sickness and pain and death shall never enter the

FIRST SERMON IN HARTFORD. 65

walls of the eternal city? The jewelled foundations of the New
Jerusalem, the gates of pearl, the tree of life, whose leaves were
for the healing of the nations, the street of pure gold, as it were
transparent glass, these are figures, but they express the highest
glory and the purest bliss of which the imagination of a mortal
under the touch of divine inspiration could give the poetic
delineation." ....

" Do you ask, how shall we come? Come to the footstool of
your God in prayer for His renewing, sanctifying Spirit ; come to
His word with simple, humble, diligent hearts ; come to His
house, and join with all your souls in the petitions and the praises
of His people ; come to your work of active duty, be it where it
may, as His servants and His stewards, rejoicing in your task.
Come with all your infirmities and your defilement, and ask to
be purified and to be healed, and you shall be accepted."

Instead of advising him to accept the invitation to New Lon-
don, Bishop Brownell proposed to him to become his assistant
in Christ Church for two months. Some of his friends were
strongly in favor of New London. The invitation to that parish
was for a year, with every prospect of a call to the rectorship.
That to Hartford was for two months only, and they feared that
he would there be so overshadowed by the Bishop and the Clergy
connected with the college, that there would be little prospect
that the congregation would be satisfied to call him for a longer
period. In opposition to these remonstrances was the urgent
invitation from the Bishop, and there is no doubt that he sought
in this, as in every event of his life, still higher counsel, for the
result shows that in remaining at Hartford he was wisely directed.
Before the two months had expired, the parish, with perfect una-
nimity, invited him to become their rector, and requested Bishop
Brownell to admit him to Priests' Orders.

The first sermon preached by Mr. Burgess to the congregation
of Christ Church, Hartford, in his new character as assistant
minister, was on the 24th of August, 1834, and was from St.
Matthew xxviii. 20: "And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world."

It closes with these words: " My brethren, whither can he
who now addresses you look, whither can you look, on the occa-
sion on which he now addresses you, but to a promise like this ?
Conscious as he is, praying that he may always feel that con-
5

66 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

sciousness, that the interests in any degree committed to his
charge are, so far as his instrumentaHty may influence them, in-
fluenced, not for life, but for eternity, what can uphold him but
the confidence that the Almighty Saviour is here amongst us?
And, while you hear the word of God from the lips of youth
and inexperience, however willingly you may yield your indul-
gence and forbearance ; yet what would encourage you to hope
a blessing, but the knowledge that Christ is here, and ready to
bless ? Let us cling to His promise ; let us be often with it at
His throne of grace, for ourselves and for one another. Humble
under our utter unworthiness ; acknowledging that we have no
strength in ourselves for the task, let us throw ourselves upon His
mercy, and give up all our powers to His disposal, and, appeal-
ing to His promise, leave the success of His own work to His
own omnipotence and grace."

X.

ORDINATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD AND INSTITUTION.

It is a singular circumstance that Mr. Burgess was not only
admitted to the Priesthood, and instituted on the same day, the
first service being held in the morning, the second in the after-
noon of November 2, 1834, the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity,
but that he also preached his own institution sermon. The pro-
posal to preach on that occasion could never have been made
by him ; he must have yielded to the express wish of Bishop
Brownell.

His sermon was from i Thessalonians ii. 19, 20: "For what
is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye
in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming ? For ye
are our glory and joy."

"It pleased the divine wisdom to select, amidst the multitude
of the primitive preachers of the gospel, one man to be espe-
cially held up as a pattern for every age. The Apostle Paul had
been miraculously called to his office ; was distinguished by the
rich abundance of his labors and his success ; and has left both
in his history recorded in the Acts, and in his numerous epistles,
far clearer traces of his ministerial character and feelings than all
the Apostles beside. It is not easy to mistake in this the design
of the Holy Spirit who inhabited his breast, and who inspired

INSTITUTION SERMON. 67

his historian. Certainly it was meant that we should see, and
catch from the sight, the feelings of one who was, if ever man
deserved the name, a worthy minister of the gospel of Christ.
It was meant that from the zeal, the faithfulness, the affection,
the prudence, the intrepidity, the forbearance, the liberality, the
entire devotedness of that chosen saint, his successors of every
order under the various vicissitudes of every succeeding age,
should draw an example that should be for them, in this their
character, the highest, save one alone.

The Apostle Paul could look around upon a multitude of
churches in Asia and Europe, as the fruits which he himself had
planted ; and, whether he addresses the Christians of Corinth,
of Thessalonica, of Philippi, or of Colosse, it is with the same
spirit of paternal affection. To no man since has been given a
pastoral love so enlarged, because no man since has been in-
trusted with such a charge ; and it may be doubtful whether the
human mind, without an apostolical degree of expansion and
sanctification, be capable of embracing, with such special ardor,
such a variety of communities ^nd of individuals. Not that the
ambassador of Christ is, at any time, justified in that almost sel-
fish spirit, which, while it labors, perhaps with much diligence,
in a single field, looks never beyond that field, forgets that the
souls of all are equally dear to the Redeemer of all, and feels no
interest in the success of the gospel beyond a single parish, or
a single nation. No ! the bond of Christian charity knows no
restriction ; and we must seek that the natural affection which
endears to us those with whom we are most connected, while it
is deepened and sanctified by the renewing grace of God, may
never give birth to coldness in our duty towards all. Still, it is
most delightful when Christian charity and social affection may
work together. So, the faithful parent, engaged, perhaps, in
many benevolent labors for the general good, turns with most
ardor to the improvement of his own circle at home. And so,
the faithful pastor, while he participates, in some degree, in the
zeal with which a Paul could pray and give thanks and labor for
Christian Churches and for all mankind, must yet feel most of
the ardent affection of that Apostle when he looks to the people
of his peculiar charge. Thus, in the language of the Apostle
addressed to the Thessalonians in our text, you may find the
sentiment, which must accompany a true and an affectionate
minister of Christ, when he enters, while he pursues, and when
he closes his course of pastoral duty. Let us, then, contemplate,
as we are led by the words of the text, first, the implied exclu-
sion of every other hope and joy for a minister of the gospel,
than that to which the Apostle has reference ; secondly, the ob-
jects of that hope and joy ; and finally, its glorious termination
' in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming. '

68 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

'What,' says St. Paul, 'is our hope, or joy, or crown of
rejoicing ?' You can conceive, my brethren, that if all upon
whom hallowed hands are laid, should ask themselves before
God, what is their chief hope and joy in their ministry, the answer
of conscience might sometimes vary from that of the Apostle. We
know, and it is the acknowledgment of the greatness of human
apostasy, that the Christian ministry has been stained, not merely
by momentary forgetfulness of the dignity and responsibility of
the sacred office, but by utter disregard of the most solemn vows,
by grievous abuse of the word and ordinances of God ; and even
by the bold impiety of profligate hypocrisy. We have high
cause to be thankful that it is not often thus amongst us ; but
against departures less gross and less open, perhaps, indeed,
wholly concealed, even those whose original dedication was con-
scientious and devout, need to be vigilantly and prayerfully on
their guard. For a sincere and elevated mind the danger of
glaring abuses may be small ; for we all must own that even in
the sight of the world, scarcely is there a character more dread-
fully contemptible than that of a grossly unworthy minister of
the gospel. Those whose hope and joy are evidently nothing
above gain or ease or sensual indulgence, can, of course, have
nothing of the Spirit of Christ, and are none of His. But, it
may happen that influenced, at least in part, and at first by a true
desire to be made instruments of good to the souls of men, we
may be tempted, and possibly led to make something else the
chief object of our hope and joy. It is sad to think that, when
many are listening with attentive delight to the eloquent periods
of the speaker, perhaps even aroused, through his instrumen-
tality, from the slumber of sin, or drinking in the rich flow of
evangelical consolation and instruction, he himself may be
nourishing, at every moment, a miserable, oh ! how miserable,
vanity ! It is sad to think that he may come to make it his chief
hope and joy, not to be, but to be called, a skilful, a learned, a
faithful preacher ; or may make even the terrors of the Lord the
means of displaying the energy of his eloquence. It is sad to
think that he may go from house to house, not to cherish Christian
feelings, not to exhort, reprove, or comfort ; not to provoke unto
love and good works, but to win a popularity and an influence to
which he sacrifices the eternal interests of his charge. It is sad
to think that, stationed as a shepherd and a watchman, he may
'lord it over the heritage of God;' may delight to be the leader
of a multitude, and may be the last to render what he should
be the first to teach, the submission of self-will. If his own
exaltation, in whatever character, be his hope and joy and crown
of rejoicing, how fearful may be the danger of others ; how
fearful must be his own ? He ought to watch and be sober ; he

INSTITUTION SERMON. 69

ought to repress the very beginnings of selfishness, to anticipate
the hand that will sooner or later humble the proud, and espe-
cially to pray for grace so to feel the realities of eternity, the
truths of redemption, and the sancity of that office which en-
forces them, that, in deep humility of soul, he may glory only
in the cross of Christ. Every other hope and joy in his ministry
except that which is fulfilled when the work of his Master is
done, and souls are won to everlasting life, must be worse than
insufficient, must, if it claim much of his heart and thoughts,
deaden all spirituality of mind, prevent or palsy his labors, and
furnish him with bitter recollections at the last, even if it bring
not down upon him the sentence of the unfaithful servant.

The questions of St. Paul in our text, imply that his entire
hope and joy and glory, as a minister of Christ, were found in
those whom he should win to Christ, and that with this, no other
object could, for a moment, enter into rivalship. See how, at
the opening of every Epistle, his heart breaks forth into grateful
exultation for the spiritual gifts bestowed upon the churches to
whom he writes. See with what joy he marks their advancement
in knowledge and grace, and is lost again and again in adoration
of the unsearchable wisdom and goodness of God, who had
called them out of darkness into His marvellous light ! They
were his hope, not because he hoped to point to them, in the
day of account, as his claim to distinguished reward ; but because
a heart warmed with the true love of God and man, can hope
for no higher pleasure than to be the instrument of promoting a
design so acceptable to God, and so necessary to man, as the
extirpation of sin and its woes. They were his joy, not merely
because he had delight in the society of friends so worthy and
so dear; but because he saw in their graces and good works a
tribute of honor to the Lord in whom he rejoiced. They were
his glory, not because he desired to boast of them before men
as the fruits of his faithful and diligent labors ; but because he
saw how much more glorious than all the crowns of earth, was,
in the sight of angels and of God, the secret consciousness that
immortal spirits had, through his means, been led to eternal
happiness. My brethren, it is not for him who is entering the
vineyard to employ, with full justice, this language of St. Paul.
It is for him who has for years watched over and watered it ; for
him whose going out and coming in are known to his people ;
for him who has seen amongst them the growth of heavenly
grace from the first seed sown by his own hands to the rich and
increasing fruit. But even the youthful pastor, the desire of
whose heart it is to follow in the steps of such, must share the feel-
ing of the Apostle expressed in these words. His hope and joy
must centre in the salvation of his charge ; and if that be not as

70 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

yet his crown of rejoicing and his glory, yet he can seek no
other. In the most holy name he has promised to be to them a
faithful shepherd. At the altar of God he has devoted himself,
soul, body, and spirit, to the service of God amongst them.
Solemnly he has implored for them the abundance of divine
grace ; and he is now bound ' by every sacred obligation, to
employ himself,' in the language of Bishop Wilson, 'for their
welfare continually, and thus, at least, give his life for the sheep.'
The kindly feelings of the human heart co-operate here with
the force of divine obligation and with the general impulse of
Christian charity. Our social relations have established, and the
word of God countenances, a most affectionate intercourse be-
tween pastor and people. He is the common friend and com-
forter ; he is called to witness the joys and sorrows of the family
and the individual. It is his voice that consecrates in the first
days of life its whole future course to the gracious Saviour, and
his that utters over the closing grave the accents of triumphant
faith. How can he have a heart and not feel everything else to
be as nothing for him in comparison with the eternal peace of
those to whom he is thus allied ? He need not fear to indulge
too warmly the true love of their souls ; it will never interfere
with his allegiance to his Master. It is the very spirit of that
Master. The Son of God came upon earth, and lived and died,
simply because He loved our guilty and wretched race ; and it
is simply because He loves them that He guards His Church,
and makes it victorious. He follows Christ in whose heart burns
the same wish to save. If a Christian pastor be faithful, he must
love every one of his people, and be ready to make many and
great sacrifices to that love. If he be faithful, he must be earnest
in his supplications that they may all come to the knowledge of
the truth, and be stablished, strengthened, settled therein. If
he be faithful he must strive so to model his instructions, his ex-
hortations, his warnings and his consolations, that the needs of
all may be supplied, and the word of truth rightly divided, and
said, neither so harshly as to lose the stamp of affection nor so
gently as to glide away without leaving its mark upon the con-
science. This is our conduct, in other matters, towards those
whom we love, those in whose prosperity lie our hope and joy ; and
it is here as everywhere the course of real and discreet kindness.
To such desires and endeavors of the pastor ought the desires
and endeavors of the people to respond. If they have confi-
dence in him, let them remember that they are the subject of his
most frequent and fervent prayers \ and let their corresponding
supplications call down upon him and upon his labors the con-
tinual dew of the divine blessing. Let them believe that in no
way can they afford him so much happiness as when they cordi-

INSTITUTION SERMON. 71

ally accept the message which he brmgs, and, in their daily walk,
give glory to Him whom he serves. Let them weigh his doctrine
by the Scriptures, believing that it is not because it is his opinion
that he desires them to adopt it, but because he esteems it the
truth of God ; and, therefore, though the inclinations of the
corrupt heart may oppose themselves to every direct and close
appeal, let them faithfully examine themselves lest, while they
seem to themselves only to blame or despise the pastor, they
really reject the humbling doctrines, which might be, for them,
the power of God unto salvation. And, my brethren, there is
one other caution which the frailty and guilt of human nature
imperiously demand. It is often and truly said, that the life is a
better criterion of character than the words. But, though this
be true of the character of a man, yet not always of his princi-
ples and his convictions. The conduct of the preacher, a frail
and sinful creature, may often be very inconsistent with the truths
which he preaches : that fact condemns him as weak, guilty, per-
haps awfully guilty, but not necessarily as insincere. It is one
thing not to follow that which we believe, and another to dis-
believe that which we teach. The man stands or falls according
to that which he builds upon, the only foundation, which is Jesus
Christ ; but the foundation remaineth sure ; the word of God is
always true, the sacraments are always valid ; and if any pro-
claim a gospel that condemns themselves, so much the stronger
the proof of that gospel, since even such cannot deny it. But as
the minister of Christ, feeling his own utter weakness, must call
upon you, confirming his words with the Scripture, to follow his
words rather than his life, so he has a right to beseech you, in
Christian love, not to judge him by such transgressions as a hasty
word, a questionable habit, an implied inconsistency. Conscious
himself that nothing but the desire of winning souls could have
brought him to the solemn responsibilities of his office, conscious
that, in the depths of his heart, he desires to have in his people
his only hope and joy and crown of rejoicing, he has a right to
ask of them something of the same love, and to beseech them
that his lesser faults may be, if they admit not of excuse, yet
lamented and reproved, before they be proclaimed and de-
nounced.

In the words of the text, the Apostle leads us forward to the
termination of his hope and joy in the presence of our Lord Jesus
Christ at His coming. We need not now pause to dwell upon the
doctrine which is surely here contained that we shall recognize
one another in the eternal kingdom of Christ. Let us only look
to the great account to which we are hastening. If, for every
privilege and talent a strict and impartial reckoning will be re-
quired of us, how much more for the privilege of hearing the

72 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

gospel and participating in the ordinances of the Church of
Christ, not merely once or twice in our lives, but from week to
week, from month to month, from our early childhood to our
last dying weakness ! We too, my brethren, must answer for
these privileges at the judgment seat of Christ. There are pro-
bably those here to whom this thought is alarming, and therefore
unusual, seldom presenting itself, and soon banished. But why
should we shut our ears against the thunders of a judgment which
we cannot avert ? As high as is the value of the privilege, so
high is its estimate in the books that shall be opened in that day.
Christ summons you, by His word, which is here dispensed, to His
altar, to His mercy seat, to His salvation, and they who believe
not reject His call. The Holy Spirit strives with you by the force
of solemn conviction and warm persuasion, and they who believe
not stifle His motions within them. Oh ! let us think of the doom
of Chorazin and Bethsaida, and Capernaum, and fear lest our
distinguished privileges should be, through unbelief, the means
of our deeper ruin. The ministers of Christ are 'to some the
savor of death unto death, and to others the savor of life unto
life; and who is sufficient for these things?' None but he whose
whole dependence is on the gospel as the power of God ; and in
reliance on that power, the language of the Apostle may be
adopted, 'Beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and
things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.' Our
eyes may look onward, while we trust in Him whose strength is
made perfect in weakness, to a more blessed close. To hope
that a single soul, endowed with all these exalted capacities for
holiness and happiness in an eternal world, should be brought,
through our means, to the knowledge of the way of life, and led,
through our means, in that way to the gates of glory ; this would
seem enough to call forth the utmost diligence of which we are
capable, to make our labors of love easy and delightful, and
amply to support us under whatever tperplexities and trials may
tend to dishearten us. But he who undertakes so to labor, is
permitted to hope for more than this. The promises of Scrip-
ture, the experience of the Church, the triumphs of the gospel in
our day, bid him, in humble dependence, pray for high results.
Everywhere, slowly, it is true, too slowly, yet evidently, the
dominion of the only Redeemer in the hearts of men is advanc-
ing ; the word returns not void to Him that sent it ; all things
proclaim to the faithful laborer that he shall not labor in vain,
nor spend his strength for naught. Possibly he may not see the
fruit ; it may spring up where he looked not for it, or after he is
called away. But if he but preach the truth as it is in Jesus with
a single heart, he may well trust that he shall not be without his
crown of rejoicing in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at
His coming.

RESIDENCE AT HARTFORD. 73

My brethren, let us now look forward, beyond the vicissitudes
of time, to that blessed day, blessed to those who are in Christ ;
and let us strive, by every appointed means, each for himself and
for all, that we may be found such at His appearing ; and that we
who are now associated by so many delightful and sacred ties,
may be associated in everlasting joy. The future in this life is
with God, and with Him we may confidently leave it ; for, if we
are His people. He has grace in store for us, proportioned to
every time of our need. May He, of His mercy, grant, that we
may all know, as the ground of our faith, only Jesus Christ, and
Him crucified, that your pastor may always see in you his hope
and joy and crown of rejoicing; and that, 'speaking the truth
in love, we may grow up unto Him in all things which is the
head, even Christ.' "

So spoke the youthful preacher, and if his after course had
been in any way inconsistent with the views and feelings thus ex-
pressed, his words would never have been recorded here. But
his whole life furnished such a beautiful illustration of the life of
the Christian pastor who finds his hope, his joy, his crown of re-
joicing in the sanctification and salvation of his people, that it
has been found impossible to resist the temptation to insert the
sermon entire.

XI.

RESIDENCE AT HARTFORD.

The most peaceful, the most happy era in the life of a nation
furnishes the smallest amoimt of incident to the historian ; it is
the same in the life of the individual. Mr. Burgess entered, in
the Parish of Christ Church, Hartford,. Connecticut, upon a life
of unceasing labor, but labor which brought its own reward, in
the success with which it was crowned.

The statistics, which show the growth of the Parish during his
rectorship, will form the subject of another section of this volume ;
the present will be devoted to his personal history as far as it can
be gathered from the few letters that have been preserved. Dur-
ing almost the whole period of his residence in Hartford, he
found a home, in every sense of the word, in the family of Mr.

74 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Nathan Morgan, and for both Mr. and Mrs. Morgan he cherished,
to the last, an affection ahnost filial.

Though his stay in Europe had separated him three years from
his own family, he had then looked forward to a return to his
early home. But he soon found a home elsewhere, and his set-
tlement at Hartford seems to have made almost the first perma-
nent break in the family circle. To another of the family leaving
home at about the same time, he wrote, on the 20th of October,
1834:—

"Your separation from our parents comes somewhat sooner
than I had anticipated ; but it is made under such pleasant cir-
cumstances, and for so short a distance, that I hope it will not
give you much pain In your husband you have a con-
stant and valuable companion; and, for the rest, we must be
content, in this life, with the vicissitudes of meetings and part-
ings. Our family has been hitherto exceedingly blessed ; and
surely we may fearlessly commit ourselves for the future to the
same gracious Providence. You may possibly be thrown, in
your new situation, into circles that have more of a fashionable
and worldly air than those which you leave; though I do not
know that it will be so, but I trust that you have become so much
established by the grace of God, that you will not endanger that
tenderness of conscience nor those habits of devotion, which
make up so much of the life of piety in the soul."

This year he accepted an invitation from the Rhode Island
Alpha of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, to deliver a poem at their
anniversary celebration, September 3d. His choice of a subject,
"The Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul," is explained in the
following introductory observations: —

"Gentlemen of the Phi Beta Kappa Society: —

In offering to you on such an occasion such a poem as that
which I now present, one remark becomes important. When, a
few months since, I had the honor to be appointed your poet for
this anniversary, it was already too late for me, under the en-
gagements which I was required to assume, to attempt the com-
position of anything new and especially appropiate. Under
these circumstances, the only way in which it remained possible
for me to discharge that duty which every man, on these occa-
sions, owes to his Alma Mater, was by laying before you some
fruit of earlier leisure. The following poem was projected and
begun during a short residence at Rome. Around that mighty

RESIDENCE AT HARTFORD. 75

metropolis of the earth, the history of all ages seems to have
revolved ; and one is there continually discovering some link of
connection between the ancient and the modern, the Pagan and
the Christian world. Such a link I thought I saw in the tradi-
tion of the Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul; and this is
the foundation of a poem which, viewed from this point, may not
seem altogether unsuitable to this occasion."

Soon after its publication, he wrote, evidently in answer to the
suggestion of a friend : —

"With regard to procuring a Reviewer, the course appears to
me a little questionable. Brief notices, adapted to call the atten-
tion of the public, may be necessary to the sale of a book; but
a review, which is to discuss its merits at length, should, as it
strikes me, be voluntary. If anybody, I should be disposed to
say, chooses to review the book, very well ; if not, let it take its

chance Beyond the sale of the book, I am really not

much concerned; however small may be its positive worth, its
negative merits are such that, I know, it cannot make its author
ridiculous, and with that I am satisfied."

This extract brings to light one of the reasons why his works
have not attracted the attention which some at least of them
deserve, and instead of being a source of profit to him, have
often been an expense. He was never willing to resort to the
means, so often used by authors, to catch the eye of the public.
Another reason might be that when he had anything to print, he
often printed it at his own expense, without throwing any risk
upon the publisher.

His contentment and happiness in his Parish work are inci-
dentally shown in a letter, from which is this short extract: —

"March 14, 1835. ^Y health, about which you inquire, has
been as good through the winter as in the summer; I have gained
a little flesh, and do not find that my labors have had any bad
effect. I preach twice on the Sunday, hold a Biblical lecture on
Tuesday evenings, which is always attended in fair weather by
almost as many as can obtain seats in the lecture-room, and have
a meeting of the Sunday-school teachers on Thursday evening.
My afternoons I give to visiting, my mornings to study ; my
other evenings are variously employed. The first lecture in each
month is a missionary lecture. All these lectures are extempore.
Our church is very well attended, and the congregation is, with-
out excei:>tion, the most regular in all the observances of public

76 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

worship, of all that I have ever seen in America. We have not
had many additions to the communion, yet I am gratified with
the general indications and prospect, and seem to see many who
may soon choose decidedly that better part that shall not be
taken from them."

Again he wrote in September, 1835: —

"As for a weekly collection for the Missionary Society, I doubt
its expediency in city churches. It seems to me that we must
labor to impress the minds of people with their obligation to
the full extent, and. then the means of collection will be of com-
paratively little importance. We seem almost to evade rather than
to meet the difficulty, when we have recourse to different expe-
dients for raising money. I am thankful that my lot is cast among
a people who do not require much persuasion to induce them to
give, in some degree, according to their ability, but they ought
still to abound more and more."

His time was fully occupied. He thus writes, April 4th, 1836 : —

"You would not wonder or be disposed to blame me that a
day or two beyond the fortnight has elapsed in silence, if you
could have seen all my engagements during the past week. In
the first place, I wrote two sermons as usual, being always thirty or
forty in advance of necessity. Then we had Morning Prayer in the
Church (which was very well attended), every day until Friday.
On the first three days I was obliged, as school committee, to
spend the afternoon and the rest of the forenoon, in visiting the
public schools. On Good Friday, of course, I preached twice,
and that evening attended a meeting for some public business.
On Saturday, I officiated at a fimeral, and in the evening had
service and an extemporary lecture, at the chapel. Yesterday,
I preached all day, and baptized an adult, and two children
(one of them named after me), and this morning I have married
a couple, whose whole acquaintance had not exceeded three
weeks. You may suppose that I have taken my first leisure,
after all, to write to you.

I do not know that I ever enjoyed Easter as much. The con-
gregation had seemed remarkably interested through the pre-
paratory season : the Communion was very large ; there were
several who came forward for the first time, and two or three
others have recently given evidence of a Divine Power working
upon their souls. I thought much of our dear mother, who
was at Church and at the altar, for the last time, the Easter be-
fore ; I pray, that we all may so be brought through this vain
and sinful world, that we may share with her in a happy resur-
rection in the likeness of our risen Saviour."

RESIDENCE A T HAR TFORD. 7 7

In 1840, the whole community was deeply moved by a catas-
trophe involvuig the loss of many lives, the burning of the
steamer Lexington, in Long Island Sound ; and, like many others
of the New England clergy, Mr. Burgess preached a sermon
on the occasion. The parish requested it for publication, and
while he acceded to the request, with characteristic modesty, he
limited the number to be printed. Writing on this subject to
one of his family, he says : —

Hartford, February 10, 1840.

" My heart was full, when I first heard of the catastrophe of the
Lexington, and remembered how recently Alexander had been
a passenger ; but how much was this sense of personal mercies
augmented, when I learned from your letter that Thomas would
have been on board in the next voyage ! If the boat went and re-
turned but three times a week, then were there out of eight voy-
ages two, on which one of our family might have been a victim;
so that, if any calculation of chances should be admitted, there
would have been in that space one chance in four that the distress
had been ours. A fearful hazard : and may the remembrance,
through divine grace, be lost on none of us !

I fear that I shall not be able to comply with your request for
other copies of my sermon on the occasion. Only three hun-
dred were printed, as I particularly desired that there should be
no more. I neither imagined or wished that it should pass be-
yond the congregation, except to the friends of the gentlemen
who desired it for the press ; and I thought that the number I
have mentioned would be sufficient. But it is rather unfortunate
that more were not printed, as they are all distributed, and more
are needed. I have sent away all my own, and so have those
of whom I have inquired ; but if I should succeed in finding two
or three, I will forward them to you.

My Psalms are fairly before the public. They have been
noticed in four or five of the New York papers, with a degree of
approbation that was abundantly satisfactory to me. The highest
praise which I have known that they received was from the best
judge, Mr. Crosvvell of Boston, himself, as you are aware, one
of the most pleasing of sacred poets. I should not at all men-
tion the book or its reception, for my own sake ; but only as I
think your solicitude for my reputation may very probably be
much greater than my own.

To finish all that belongs to authorship ; last week I delivered
a lecture before the Young Men's Institute on ' the affinities of
nations ;' a subject which, in the course of its prosecution, in-
terested me much. I began with the different races of men, as

78 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

they are now ; and endeavored to follow back their history as
near as possible to their origin, through the guidance of their
annals, and of geography, physiology, and the comparison of
languages ; and then, beginning at the other extremity of the
chain, at Noah and the ark, to follow it down till the two paths
met. A book which much assisted me, and which, if you have
not read it, would be highly instructive and entertaining to any
of you, is Wiseman's Lectures on Science in its connection with
Revealed Religion. The author is a Romanist ; but the theology
of his church is very little concerned with the manner. in which
he executes his design."

His " Psalms," to which he refers in this letter, had just been
published, before Professor Keble's version had appeared, or,
at least, before it were known in America. After alluding to
the more than thirty versions of the Psalms already published,
"not one of which has attained any eminence in the public es-
timation," he concludes his preface : —

" In the present version, the author has endeavored to follow
the same principles which would govern him in the translation
of any ancient poems into English verse ; to be so literal, as to
give the very sentiment, and, if possible, the spirit of the origi-
nal, and yet so free as not to inflict pain on the reader of taste.
If he has failed, he may say with Mr. Goode, ' it will be his
solace that he has failed amongst names the most respectable in
the annals of piety and literature.' He will but have made an
unsuccessful attempt in a region where the very attempt was
more delightful than success in other fields. The charm of his
subject, the happiness of making these divine strains more truly
his own, has already more than rewarded him ; and he lays
aside the harp of Sion from his unskilful hand with devout
thanks that he has been permitted to awaken, for his own soul
at least, its heavenly melody."

The next year occurred an event of great interest, the organi-
zation of a second Parish in Hartford, and the building of a
second church. Two extracts from letters, written at an inter-
val of nearly a year, will show how entirely free he was from all
jealousy of the new Parish.

Hartford, March 15, 1841.

*' I believe that we are to have a new Parish, a Colony, as
they term it, of the present one. This evening, there is to be a
Parish Meeting, to determine whether the present Parish shall

RESIDENCE AT HARTFOKD. 79

build the new Church, and then make it over to the new Parish,
then to be organized ; or, whether the new Parish shall be or-
ganized now. There is not, so far as I know, the least dissatis-
faction : the only object is the provision of more room, and the
extension of the Church. I have always thought that the
sooner such a result could be brought about, the better ; and am
very glad of the present effort."

Hartford, March 21, 1842.

" Our new church, St. John's, will be ready for consecration
in the course of a fortnight. I am to preach the consecration
sermon ; and next Sunday also, to part with a portion of my
people. It is an occasion which I cannot but somewhat feel,
though I must rejoice at the manner and the circumstances of
our separation. There has never been the slighest disturbance
of our mutual harmony and affection. They go, only because
it seems a duty to enlarge our borders. The new congregation
will be composed, almost entirely, of the people in the south
part of the town ; some of them, however, remaining with us,
and a few others going with them, for the sake of strengthening
them."*

Returning to the year 1841, we find under that date two letters
from which extracts may be given to show the thoroughly Chris-
tian tone of all his correspondence : —

Hartford, January 23, 1841.
''Your remark respecting the time of sickness as so unsuitable
for doing what has been left undone in health, is confirmed by
the scenes which we are constantly called to witness, as well
as by our experience in every occasional indisposition. We
need to be in such a frame that we can humbly place ourselves
in the hands of our Father and our Saviour, and receive the
simple comfort and strength of such a trust. It is not a time
for the labor of self-examination, but for the repose of a heart
reconciled to God, and crying, in the spirit of adoption, Abba,
Father. Pray for me, in my responsible station, and for me, as
having the care of my own soul, that I may be filled with the
love of our Redeemer, and enabled by word and by example to
glorify His gospel. I do not cease to remember each and all
of you ' with supplication and thanksgiving.' "

* On this subject, a former parishioner in Hartford writes: "When the
members of St. John's Parish left Christ Church, and I congratulated him that
his labors would be lessened, he replied that he ' hoped his duties would be
better done.' That feeling followed him until the close of life most wonderfully ;
to do whatever his hand found to do, and to do it well."

8o MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

To his brother, about to embark for Europe, in a letter dated
Brattleboro, July 8, 1841 : —

" You, however, are soon, I trust, to see regions more interest-
ing and quite as beautiful beyond the sea. May God preserve
you, my dear brother, and give you much happiness, and make
all instrumental to your greater usefulness in His service ; without
this all would be very worthless, and only add to the weight of
our ingratitude. One thing has occurred to me while I have
been on the present journey, as quite as much adapted to secure
and increase your enjoyment as any other. It is regularity in
your devotions under whatever circumstances. There may be
every temptation to be otherwise ; and I do not doubt that a false
shame has often left wounds on the conscience of Protestants,
and given to Romanists the impression that they live without
prayer; for Romanists, I believe, are not ashamed to kneel down
and repeat their prayers in the presence of others.

As the time approaches, when you are about to embark on
so long and various a journey, I think much of you, and feel
more the vicissitudes which may characterize it than I should,
perhaps, or did when I was to be much longer absent. But, for
a shorter or a longer time, a greater or a less exposure, God,
our reconciled Father, is equally our Guide and Protector; the
same abroad as at home, and equally needed as such at home
and abroad. I can have little anxiety for you while I believe
that you are walking in His fear and love."

During his residence in Hartford, as well as afterwards, when
the care of a Diocese was added to that of a Parish, his letters
frequently contained such passages as this : —

"I very much fear that you will not see me this week, and I
write to prevent disappointment. A parishioner, who is so ill,
that, unless speedily relieved, she cannot survive longer than a
day or two, requires my attendance; and, although my pulpit
will be supplied on Sunday whether I am here or not, yet I
should hardly feel justified in leaving home at such a moment. ' '

That these long separations from his family were not volun-
tary, but were the fruit of his self-denial and devotion to duty,
the following extract shows: —

"It has been purely a matter of accident and of slight rea-
sons; and I feel in truth that, short as life is, I have been absent
from our home too long. Still, I have had the pleasure of see-
ing all of you, except Thomas, here within a period not much
longer. And, as to my father, if there be one sentiment which
has grown upon me with my advancing life, it has been that of

RESIDENCE A T HA R TFORD. 8 1

devoted affection and unbounded gratitude towards him to whom
we owe everything under our heavenly Father."

All Mr. Burgess's letters to the various members of his family
show his strong family affection and his deep religious feeling.
A few extracts may be given to show the tone of these letters j
but most of them are strictly family letters, which it is impossible
to give entire.

March 14, 1835.
" My time is so much taken up, pleasantly, to be sure, that I
cannot read as I once did. The business of visiting in my par-
ish interests me exceedingly. A clergyman must see a great
many of those scenes in which human nature is most tried. It
tends to deepen our value of the gospel, and to make us con-
stantly feel that we are living for eternity, and very near it ; a
thought that, however solemn, need not be appalling when we
look by faith to the Redeemer, and live in dependence upon his
fulness. How delightful is it, my dear sister, that we are, almost
all of our family circle, also united in the Christian profession,
and, I hope, in the true Christian faith. Hardly anything so
touches my mind with the sense of the goodness of God towards
me individually, as this one circumstance. Much has been
granted to our prayers ; let us still be constantly interceding for
each other at that blessed throne to which, under all circum-
stances, we are permitted to have access."

In a letter to his mother, dated March 20, 1835, ^^ writes: —

"My parish is very prosperous; the church better filled than
at any time since I have been here ; the congregation exceed-
ingly attentive and serious; my lectures always well and fully
attended ; and the Sunday school as full as it was in the summer.
In a few instances, I have had reason to believe that God has
made me, in some degree, the instrument of imparting spiritual
life ; and let me entreat your prayers that I may see many more
such.

Since I have been here the funerals in the parish have aver-
aged nearly one a week. Such scenes, my dear mother, wean
us from the world, and help, through the grace of God, to pre-
pare for those sorrows which must come upon us also, and that
change which must one day separate us for a while, and again,
I trust, unite us forever."

Mr. Burgess had not been long numbered with the clergy of
Connecticut, before it was discovered how useful he might be
6

82 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

made, and we find him elected first, in 1836, Secretary of the
Church Scholarship Society, next Secretary of the Convention,
and constantly a member of the various committees appointed at
the annual Conventions. In 1836, he was elected a member of
the Standing Committee, an office which he retained until he left
Connecticut, except in 1846, when he declined are-election, and
in the annual reports of the meetings of this Committee, his name
always appears among those present. He was emphatically one
of the working clergy, and he never accepted an office except
when he felt that he could faithfully attend to its duties. In 1841
and 1847, l"*^ was elected a deputy to General Convention, but not
in 1844. This omission is explained in one of his letters.

Hartford, June 17, 1844.
" I was last week in New York for a couple of days, after at-
tending our Convention at New Haven. To the General Con-
vention in October I am not to be a deputy, for which I am not
at all sorry. I should have been elected, if I could have con-
sented to sustain the position of the Bishop of New York, in case .
that the subject should be introduced as it will be. Several asked
me my opinion ; declaring frankly that they wished to vote for
me, but regarded that point as of great importance. I answered
them as frankly, that I could not but justify the opposition to his
decisions. Accordingly, by a very small majority, I was left at
home. Dr. Croswell was opposed for the same reasons; but,
having been the first deputy for many years, and it being suffi-
cient for all purposes that three of the deputies should think alike,
as a majority determines the vote of the deputation, he was elected.
I believe that I am much more respected, under these circum-
stances, than if I had gone ; and I am released from no small
responsibility."

The record of Mr. Burgess' life in Hartford would be incom-
plete without some mention of Dr. George Sumner and Mrs.
Sumner, for whom he entertained the warmest affection, and
with whom he was in habits of daily intimacy. It was to them
probably that he referred when he wrote : " Their warm friend-
ship, and that of their family for me, which I entirely reciprocate,
is indeed one of the chief earthly fountains of my happiness.
Why, indeed, should I call a Christian friendship earthly?"

Near the end of the year 1844, he met with a great affliction,
in the sudden death of Mrs. Sumner. To this he refers in a
letter dated

RESIDENCE AT HARTFORD. 83

Hartford, March 4, 1845.

" I thank you for your synipathy with me under the loss of
dear Mrs. Sumner ; but you can never know the extent of that
loss. It does not, indeed, overwhelm me with any inordinate
grief ; for I have an undoubting confidence of her blessed peace
with her Saviour ; and I have not been accustomed to expect so
much from this world as to be very much overcome by anything ;
perhaps, that makes the earth more dreary, and heaven more
glorious. But I had never so near an intimacy with any friend ;
none who was not of our own family could ever, without being
more than a friend, have so much of my affection ; and I never
knew a friendship so warm, so true, so steadfast, and so deep as
hers for me. It is very seldom possible that it should exist ; be-
cause very seldom, if ever, is a heart so large and generous, so
capable of loving all, and capable of loving a friend so much,
united with such powers of pleasing and attaching, as in her ; and
all resting on such a foundation of glowing, yet most modest and
humble piety. I know that, beyond her own family, she had no
friend so dear as her pastor \ and certainly I never had, beyond
mine, a friend like her. Our friendship, too, was all connected
with our eternal hopes : it grew from the spiritual relationship,
at first, which subsisted between us ; and it was cherished in the
constant anticipation of a world where everything that was sanc-
tified by the grace of God will remain to us forever. Now that
she has been for a short time an inhabitant of eternity, I think
of her with feelings which I have known but twice before. To
have often conversed with a friend on the glory that shall be
revealed ; to have been heard as an ambassador of God ; to have
guided the steps of such a friend through the last years of life ;
to have accompanied her with prayers and every aid that is pos-
sible to mortals, to the end ; and then to have parted ; and now
to feel that, though thus separated by a veil, we know not how
thin, we are still undoubtedly mindful each of the other, and
united by a bond which draws powerfully towards holiness and
heaven ; this is an experience which, in some of its parts, must
be peculiar to a Christian pastor, and the effects of which I feel
every day and hour.

I am sorry that you take exactly such a view of sudden death.
Probably you will never be suddenly removed ; but it has not to
me the same repulsive aspect. Why can we not close up, as it
were, our accounts every day, and so be never surprised ? And
if we are ever to be ready, why can we not, offering the same
prayers, relying on the same mercy in Christ, and doing what
our hand findeth to do, be equally ready whenever it shall please
God to summon us? If He be with us, there is no shock in the
change of worlds ; and if He be not with us, the longest season of

84 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

special preparation is unavailing. Mrs. Sumner strove to be in
habitual readiness, and often alluded to her death; but I should
never be weary in speaking of her."

The next letter which we quote, though written nearly a year
later, may have been suggested by the same event, being on the
subjects of death and eternity.

Hartford, February 2, 1846.
"You ask me how eternity affects me, and whether there is
no shrinking from the idea of living forever ? I answer certainly
not from that idea, which is all my happiness. Most deeply do
I rejoice to feel that I am an immortal being. Aside from sin
and guilt, what should be dreadful in the thought of eternity ?
If before we entered on the present life, we could have been
brought into conscious existence, without knowing more than
that we were to begin to live on earth, would there not have been
as much solemnity in the thought of entering this world as there
is now in that of entering another ? Apart, I say, from sin and
guilt; for these make all the difficulty and the fear; but if we
saw it rightly, we should feel as to the present life as we feel as
to the life to come, whether we have hopes or apprehensions.
How can I cross my threshold, not knowing what may befall me
before I return, if I have no confidence in the protection of my
God? Ought I not then to tremble at every breath of wind,
which may bring with it the seeds of death and retribution ? But
if I have confidence in God's protection, why should I dread to
cross the threshold of eternity ? Only through human weakness.
But I can never have such confidence till I can humbly hope that
I have accepted the terms of salvation, and that my sins, through
the blood of my Saviour, are washed away. Let my title thus
be made clear to my eye, and then welcome eternity. It is no
longer an awful thought, except as all sublimity is in some sense
awful. If now you ask, whether then I am divested of all appre-
hensions of death, this I dare not say, because I dare not affirm
that my hope will not make me ashamed, in the time of trial ;
and because it is our business in the season of our life to labor to
make our calling and election sure. But I have a good hope,
and it rests entirely on the redeeming grace of God, who ' so
loved the world as to give His only begotten Son;' and I am
not so oppressed with doubts even respecting myself as that the
thought of eternity and of living forever should be habitually
overwhelming. Think more of the love of God in Christ ; and
trust Him to make all easy for you at last. It is good to fear ;
but it is good also to hope strongly. I have seen within the last
year, in my congregation, two or three singularly happy deaths,
in perfect consciousness and undisturbed peace. The last was

MARRIAGE. 85

a few weeks since ; a young married lady who died of consump-
tion. Delicate, nervous, tremulous, so that receiving the com-
munion during her illness agitated her distressingly, though she
had often received it in health, yet, when she came to the very
last hour, without any influence of medicine, after her very sight
was gone, she took each of us, her husband, brothers, sisters and
me, bade us farewell, said she was happy, or, she added, 'shall
soon be,' gave her dying counsels, said that she was 'perfectly,
perfectly ready;' and had at that moment a more firm, fixed
and assured faith and courage than I had ever seen in her in any
moment before. For him who sees such scenes, much of the
terror of death must pass away."

And again under another date : —

"Your views of eternity remind me of those of ; and

it is pleasant to think that the gloom which had sometimes hung
over her mind, in the contemplation of the great change, was,
when that change approached, so entirely taken away. Let us
look forward with humble hope, assured that ' God can give
dying grace in a dying hour.' Only let us live near to God,
through faith in His love, and pray earnestly to be always ready
for our summons. I seem sometimes inclined to think in health
too lightly of the terrors of death ; at other times, I am troubled
with doubts and fears ; and indeed I am unworthy even to hope ;
but still I can never lose sight of that blessed truth, ' God sent
not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.' I desire to embrace it,
and I feel that if I could live a thousand years upon earth, I
could have no other ground of confidence."

In 1846, Mr. Burgess received the degree of Doctor of Divin-
ity from Union College, Schenectady, and the same year the
same degree was conferred on him by his Alma Mater, Brown
University, Providence.

xn.

MARRIAGE.

In 1846, on the 26th of October, Dr. Burgess was married to
Sophia, daughter of Leonard Kip, Esq. , formerly of New York,
but at that time a resident of Hartford. Under this date the
following is found among his written prayers: —

86 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

"Almighty God, Father of mercies, who hast ordained the
holy estate of marriage, and hast made it a type of the sacred
union between Thy dear Son and the church which He has re-
deemed, we bless Thy name, that Thou hast preserved us till
this day, and hast united our hearts, and crowned our marriage
covenant with Thy fatherly sanction and blessing. And now,
we beseech Thee, be ever with us as we pass on together in this
our pilgrimage. Give us grace to keep the vow and covenant
betwixt us made ; and may our love be pure, constant, and de-
voted, in joy and in sorrow, in health and in sickness, in life and
in death. Prepare us, blessed Lord, for all the new duties which
await us ; and may we aid one another, in every scene, to walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, being one in
Christ our Lord; so that we may finish our course with joy, and
may so live together in this life, so faithfully, innocently, and
piously, that in the world to come we may have life everlasting,
through the merits of our most gracious Saviour, to whom with
the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honor, glory, and praise,
world without end. Amen."

XHL
LITERARY LABORS.

During all these years Mr. Burgess' pen was not idle. He
was a frequent contributor to the various periodicals of the Church;
and in 1844, he published anonymously a poem called "The
Strife of Brothers," the result of long hours spent with the Rev.
Arthur Cleveland Coxe, then Rector of St. John's Church, Hart-
ford, hours given to "discussions and inquiries suggested by
their common duties and pursuits." In reference to this poem,
Bishop Coxe writes: —

"Of such communings, often protracted of summer nights, till
the morning watch was near, ' The Strife of Brothers' is to me
an intensely interesting record. Those were the days of the early
excitements occasioned by the Oxford Tracts. As an ardent
youth, I admired the revival of a Catholicity which I supposed to
be that of Andrewes and of Bull, but in which his maturer mind
discovered, sooner than I did, the taint of a sickly medisevalism.
The topics which are barely touched upon in the poem, with epi-
grammatic force and point, were in fact talked over, in all their
bearings, night after night and day after day. Of what was really

LITERARY LABORS. 87

said and urged, often with feeling and hot debate, on both sides,
little is given. Certain it is, that the later views of the Bishop
were far less latitudinarian than they are represented in the poem;
and I rejoice to own that if my own views are not wholly one-
sided and illiberal, I am greatly indebted for their balance and
harmony, to the attractive force and fundamental orthodoxy of
his broader Churchmanship."

In the spring of 1847, ^^ published "Pages of Ecclesiastical
History of New England." In reference to this little book, he
says: —

Hartford, July 2, 1847.

"In writing it, I was governed, I believe, by no other feeling
than a simple, honest desire to contribute something which might
be read, towards the illustration of a great movement, which has
involved more or less the highest interests of the people of New
England. That movement, I firmly believe to have its natural
result in shaking all settled confidence in divine revelation. I
dread it, not merely because it attacks some of the most blessed
truths on which the soul of sinful man can alone lean for hope,
the doctrines of the incarnation of the Son of God, of the atone-
ment for our guilt, and of the renewing and sanctifying Spirit;
but because I am perfectly convinced that it cannot prevail with-
out creating a general spirit of doubt as to all religion, a temper
as opposite as possible to that faith which is ' the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' From my
earliest study of the Scriptures, I have never questioned that
Unitarianism was not the doctrine of the Scriptures. But when
I have seen how uniformly it leads men to undervalue, to degrade,
and at length to cast off the authority of the Scriptures, I have
been more and more convinced that we had ultimately to decide
only between faith in a divine revelation and a system of mere
denial and unbelief. I do not speak of individuals; because
very often they do not understand their own system thoroughly;
and their hearts may be better than their system. But of Uni-
tarianism, as a system of doctrine, I cannot doubt that the issue
is a state of utter religious uncertainty ; and in this little work I
have but fairly traced the historical progress by which all this is
confirmed. I hope that in the main, it will meet your approval.
It has been for many years a part of my daily prayers that all
those friends of my early youth whom I believe to have been in
this respect misled by men who believe far less than their office,
under the loosest construction, is supposed to imply, might sub-
mit themselves with a single heart to the word of God ; and then,
I doubt not the issue."

88 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

In 1846 Mr. Burgess was requested to deliver the poem before
the House of Convocation of Trinity College in the following
year ; an appointment which he declined, being unwilling, to
use his own words, "to lift up his voice in any less sacred strain"
beneath those solemn arches which heard his pastoral vow. But
in 1847, 3^s the time for the delivery of the poem drew near, the
request was repeated, and a strong pressure was brought to bear
upon him. He was reminded of the difficulty of obtaining for
such occasions the services of men of standing, and it was urged
that his example might make the task more easy in future. A
few lines prefixed to the poem when published explained his
reasons for yielding: —

" Nothing but the desire to advance in any manner the inter-
ests of an endeared institution, and a wish to cherish amongst
our educated men the honor and the love of sacred and generous
poetry, persuaded the writer to undertake the task of delivering
a poem before the Convocation of Trinity College, Hartford.
Nothing else has induced him to consent to its publication. In
both instances, his refusal was sincere and earnest, and was
only overcome by considerations which were not personal."

He chose for his subject The Poets of Religion. Those who
knew that it was only three weeks since his consent was given,
could scarcely believe that, without neglecting or postponing
any of his accustomed duties, he had written the poem within
that time ; but it was supposed that he had adapted to the
occasion verses that had been written previously. But this was
not the case. His familiarity with religious poetry enabled him
to prepare it without taking time from other duties. He did
not need to sit down in a library with books of reference around
him; but most of the poem was composed as he walked the
streets of the city in his daily round of visits, and when he re-
turned home he dictated while he rested, employing a less weary
hand than his own to commit his thoughts to paper.

APPROACH TO THE EPISCOPATE. 89

XIV.
APPROACH TO THE EPISCOPATE.

It is known that Dr. Burgess was sometimes invited to other
fields of labor ; but these invitations were never made public by
him. A single sentence in a letter to one of his own family
shows both the fact of the invitation and his own caution in
naming it : —

October 22, 1836. "Overtures were lately made to me from
a church of some importance, I shall not tell you what or
where, to exchange my situation ; but I could not see it to be
my duty; and, except as my duty, it will not, under present
circumstances, be my inclination."

In the summer of 1847, ^ question was proposed for his con-
sideration, which, for the time, gave him serious anxiety ; letters
came to him from the clergy of Maine, asking whether he would
accept the Episcopate of that Diocese. While he tried to turn
their thoughts to other persons whom he thought adapted to the
position, he made the question the subject of constant and pray-
erful deliberation, and, as the time drew near when he must de-
cide, he set aside seasons for fasting as well as prayer.

At one of these seasons he wrote the following prayer: —

"Almighty God, my heavenly Father, who hast created me, and
given me all my faculties and powers; who hast preserved me to
this day, and blessed me with all my opportunities of education,
improvement, and cultivation; who hast redeemed me with the
precious blood of Thy dear Son, and made me a temple of the Holy
Ghost, that I might honor and serve Thee in my generation, and
at last be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting ; I would
consecrate myself afresh to Thee, while I implore Thy blessing
on my present deliberations and decisions.

I am unworthy, O Lord, of the meanest place in Thy house
and at Thy altar ; and when I regard my sinfulness in heart and
life, and think of the holiness which belongs to Thy servants and
ministers, I am ashamed and troubled, and overwhelmed with a
sense of my unfitness, to be a guide and example for others.
My only hope is in the riches of Thy mercy, through Christ our
Saviour. I look to him as the Advocate and Propitiation for
sinners; and pray Thee for His sake to forgive me all that is

90 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

past; and especially all wherein I have neglected the duties of
my holy ofifice, or walked unworthy of its great obligations.
Let not my offences be remembered against me; and O, let them
not deprive those who have been committed to my charge, of the
blessings which have been reserved for them by Thy mercy in
Christ Jesus.

And now, O Father, when in Thy good Providence the time
seems to be nigh for the decision which shall determine the place
and circumstances of my future abode ; and when the voice of
my brethren seems to call me to a higher office in Thy holy
Church, my eyes are directed to Thee, from whom cometh all
my help. Oh, give me wisdom as Thou hast promised to them
that ask Thee. Show me the way wherein I should go; and give
me grace to follow it with a cheerful and thankful heart ; that I
may have peace hereafter, in the recollection of my choice ; and
that all who may be interested in it may have cause to bless Thy
holy name, and give Thee thanks forever.

To this end, bring to my mind all which I need to remember,
and impress it upon my soul, and enable me to judge wisely and
meekly. Take away from me all false, selfish, and unhallowed
motives; all pride and exaltation of myself; all vanity and sel-
fish will; all love of power and desire to lord it over Thy heri-
tage ; all slothful and luxurious love of ease ; and may it be my
simple and entire wish to be there placed where I may most pro-
mote Thine honor, and the good of Thy church, in the salvation
of the souls of my fellow-men. Give me deep humility of spirit,
and let the same mind be in me which was in Christ Jesus my
Lord, who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Give
me that single eye which Thou approvest ; and make me perfectly
content, in whatsoever state Thou shalt place me, and desirous
only that Thy will, O Lord, should be done. I resign myself
to Thee ; make my way as plain and clear, I beseech Thee, as may
seem good to Thy perfect wisdom; and let all my dear friends,
and brethren, and people be satisfied that my decision is well
pleasing in Thy sight. To Thee my heart is open. Thou knowest
that I but wait for the guidance of Thy Providence and grace ;
O, decide Thou for me, and then all shall be well.

Hear me, O heavenly Father, and forgive me; guide me and
bless me, for the sake of Thy blessed Son our Lord, to whom,
with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor, praise, and glory,
world without end. Amen."

Friday, August 13, 1847.

Bishop Burgess, at this time, put on paper every reason both
for and against his acceptance of the office of Bishop. This
paper exalts alike his faithfulness and his modesty.

APPROACH TO THE EPISCOPATE.

91

■■ For. Reasons. Against.

From the general interests of the Church.

1. Can I not be more useful as a
student and writer, where books are
more abundant, and active duties, be-
yond those of a parish, less pressing?

1. It is desirable that the office of a
Bishop should generally be accepted
by those to whom it may be offered,
especially where it is, in a temporal
view, less desirable.

2. Whatever powers an individual
may possess, are to be employed, at the
call of the Church, which is, to a cer-
tain extent, to decide.

3. It must be considered by me an
advantage that the views which I hold,
far from any extreme, should be the
views of another Bishop.

4. The probability, from the judg-
ment of those who may elect me, that
I may possess some of the requisite
qualities for the good of the Church.

From general principles of clerical or Christian duties.

1 . The presumption of a Providential
call when one is summoned, without
solicitation or desire, and with unani-
mity, to a higher station.

2. The promise of strength and grace
for every duty to which a Christian can
be summoned ^y the Lord.

3. Have I not been preserved and
brought to this time for this ?

1. The presumption in favor of the
humble station, and against ambitious
motives.

2. The danger of being exalted with
pride.

3. The immense responsibility for a
holy example.

4. The danger from being without
superior counsellor and master.

5. Absolute unworthiness.

From the interests of the Diocese of Maine
I. Its need of a Bishop.

The remarkable unanimity.
The probable delay, should I de-

.3-
cline

4. It is desirable that the Bishop
should be a New Englander.

5. It is desirable that he should be
a person not wholly without additional
resources.

I . The demand for a person of more
vigorous constitution and greater activ-
ity.

92 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BbRGESS.

For. Against,

6. The facts, that Mr. Gardiner has
so long desired me; that I have been
so acceptable at Augusta ; that Mr. Pratt
was ordained at the same time with me;
and that my brother would be at my
side.

7. The influence to be exercised
against Unitarianism.

8. The importance of moderation
and judgment in the Bishop of such a
Diocese.

9. The wishes of Mr. Goodwin and
Dr. Vaughan, both natives of the Dio-
cese.

10. The vast interests of the Church
in so large a region, for all time to come.

11. The facility of communication
between diff"erent parts of the State.

12. The fact that the episcopal duties
for many years to come cannot be ex-
cessively numerous.

13. The necessity, almost, that the
Rector at Gardiner should be the
Bishop.

From the interests of the Diocese of Connecticut.

1. The probability that my successor i. The want of clergymen of firm
would be a person of principles like and moderate principles.

my own.

2. The probability that he might be 2. The want of men of education in
a more useful friend of Trinity College, connection with Trinity College.

3. Absence of whatever influence I
might possess in securing hereafter, per-
haps, a good Bishop for Connecticut.

From the interests of the Church at Gardiner.

1. I am, perhaps, as likely to be use-
ful there as in any other parish.

2. The opportunity for preparing
careful sermons, possibly for the press.

3. The important influence of the
Gardiner family.

From the interests of the Parish at Hartford.

I. The possibility that another clergy- i. A change not in itself desirable.
man might give to many minds a new
impulse.

APPROACH TO THE EPISCOPATE.

93

For.

2. The possibility that Dr. Wheaton
might be my successor.

3. How easily might my connection
be interrupted by sickness or deatli!

Against.

2. The attachment of so many to me
personally.

3. The possibility of a division in
the election of a successor.

4. Removal from so many god-
children.

5. Possibility of collision between a
future Rector and the Rector of St.
John's Church.

Personal.

1 . The situation would be permanent.

2. It seems a natural goal.

3. If rejected now, it would probably
never be offered again; or if oftered,
no other Diocese would be to me so
agreeable.

4. I cannot be sure of remaining al-
ways in my present situation; and for
what other can I exchange it so well ?

5. Should I be visited with ill health,
I can probably, with very strict econ-
omy, live without being a burden to
the Diocese.

6. The vicinity of my brother.

7. The actual nearness of my friends
in Rhode Island.

8. Convenience of a smaller church,
should my health be at any time less
vigorous.

1 . Departure from the graves of my
friends.

2. Departure from such dear, dear
friends who remain.

3. Greater distance from the family
of Sophia.

4. Probability that my dear mother-
in-law would spend less time with us.

5. Inconvenience of arrangements
in the autumn.

6. Will the place be equally favor-
able to my health ?

7. Inconvenience of arranging my
Trusteeship.

To his father he wrote : —

Hartford, July 2, 1847.

" You may have heard that I may probably, if I do not return
beforehand a decisive refusal, be invited to the Episcopal charge
of the few churches in the Diocese of Maine. I shall be thank-
ful for your prayers that I may be guided aright, as well as for
any counsel which may suggest itself to your mind. Were it
possible that the whole subject could have passed by, I should
have rejoiced ; but if it must be considered, I can only wish to
do that which shall be most for the honor of the Saviour and

94 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

the service of His cause on earth. At present my mind can
hardly be said to lean in either direction ; but my affections are
here.

With the warmest feelings of filial gratitude, I remain, my dear
father, Your affectionate son,

George Burgess."

In Sept. 1847, he wrote to Mr. Gardiner: —

"As the time draws near, when the final decision must be
taken, I wish to say to you that if, on coming together, you
should, upon the whole, have doubts as to the expediency of
proceeding to an election, or if the eyes of any of the members
of the Convention should be turned to some other quarter, it
will give me sincere pleasure ; and I would beg you to let no
personal consideration intervene, as I have neither feeling nor
interest in opposition to such an issue.

Should the result be such as you have anticipated, I shall en-
deavor to cause no needless delay or embarrassment, either to
the diocese or the parish ; and shall probably be able to state
at once my decision. It will be governed by nothing but simple
duty.

Should the contingency arise, that my views on the subject of
pecuniary support for the Bishop should be of any importance,
I would state them very simply. More than enough to meet
the additional expenses in travelling, postage, and other particu-
lars, I should neither expect nor desire. Few as the churches in
Maine now are, I hardly see how even two hundred dollars
annually can be appropriated by them, without inconvenience.
In my judgment they should name a sum, however small, such
as they can raise without difficulty, and without the slightest
danger of future discontent, and they should name it with the
firm intention of exact and punctual payment. I would rather,
for my sake, and for that of a new diocese, on which every
such thing has a great moral influence, that they should say
one hundred dollars, and pay it thus, than that they should
promise one thousand dollars, and pay but half of it.

With constant prayers that your action may be so guided by
God's Providence and grace, as to result in His glory, and the
prosperity of the Church of His dear Son, I remain, my dear sir,

Yours most respectfully,

George Burgess."

Dr. Burgess fully appreciated the sacrifice involved, but said
that if it was no greater to him than to another, he ought to be
willing to make it. Some of his friends, in their unwillingness
to part with him, suggested that he need not allow the election

WOJ^K IN HARTFORD. 95

to take place ; but he said that if it was his duty to go, to decline
before an election would be shrinking from that duty as much
as to decline it afterwards. As soon as he had made his decision,
he called together the Vestry of Christ Church, and with his
usual simple straightforwardness, laid the matter before them ;
and all must have believed him when he said that even at that
period, if the choice should fall on another, he would be thank-
ful to be allowed to remain with his parish. Even at the last
moment before the election, he wrote to one of his correspond-
ents in Maine proposing another clergyman, and saying that if
they could unite on any other, he would willingly accept of any
mortification which he might be supposed to feel at not being
chosen after he had agreed to accept the office.

A letter written two days after his consecration contains this
passage : " The services were, to me at least, unspeakably solemn
and yet peaceful. I am satisfied that I have done what I ought,
and I shall go, with a cheerful and strong heart, to my future
labors."

After such serious and prayerful consideration, there could
be no room for misgiving.

XV.

WORK IN HARTFORD.

This Section is only part of a very valuable paper, kindly
furnished by Judge Huntington, a former parishioner of Rev.
Dr. Burgess at Hartford. The omissions are at the proposal of
Judge Huntington.

"When Mr. Burgess entered upon the rectorship of Christ
Church, Hartford, he had twenty sermons which he had never
preached, and during the thirteen years of his connection with
the parish, this number was not lessened, but considerably in-
creased. And yet, he always preferred to occupy his own pulpit ;
as I remember his once remarking that he seemed to ' need every
Sunday to say all he desired to say to his people.' Still he spent
comparatively little time in writing sermons, for he said he con-
sidered pastoral duties of such great importance that he could
not in conscience, devote much time to other pursuits. Under

96 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

the influence of this conviction, he acquired the habit of writing
sermons with great rapidity. His whole heart was so absorbed
in parish duties, was so filled with the love of his work, was so
intent upon the promotion of the spiritual welfare of his people,
and so stored with a knowledge of the truths he wished to im-
press upon his hearers, that he could compose a sermon in the
time required for the mere mechanical labor of writing it.

He once delivered a lecture before the Connecticut Historical
Society, upon the condition in their native country of the early
settlers of New England. This lecture was deemed a most valu-
able historical document, and a copy was requested for preser-
vation in the archives of the Society. He readily acceded to the
request, upon the condition that some one was employed to copy
it. As the lecture contained many proper names, the person
employed was unable to decipher them. To obviate this diffi-
culty, he read a sentence of the lecture aloud, and while the
copyist was writing it down, he occupied himself in writing a
sermon. By the time the lecture was finished, he had finished
his sermon. This incident is given as illustrating his industry
as well as his economy of time.

He was most remarkable for the employment of all his hours.
By this means, his own work was always done, and he had time,
whenever called upon, to do for others. He never declined
any duty or labor consistent with his position. So well known
was this trait in his character, that clergymen of the various de-
nominations in Hartford, when called upon for the performance
of duties by persons not connected with any church, not unfre-
quently sent the applicant to Mr. Burgess, knowing, as they did,
that he was always ready for any extra service.

As a pastor, no man could be more laborious or conscientious
in the discharge of his duties. Pastoral work was very far from
being a business of mere form with him. He never rested until
he gathered some fruit from his labors. When called to the
sick and dying, he never relaxed his exertions while life lasted,
or until he could indulge a reasonable hope that the subject of
his eff'orts, to human observation, was prepared for .the change
that awaited him.

The success of his labors is indicated by the fact that duruig
his rectorship of thirteen years, he received into the communion
of the Church over seven hundred and fifty persons.

In 1 841, one hundred and six of the communicants of Christ
Church colonized and formed the parish of St. John's. The
usual inroads were made from year to year by removals and
deaths ; but when he left Hartford, there were four hundred and
two names on his list of communicants.

In 1847, he was elected to the Episcopate of Maine. His

WORK nv HARTFORD. 97

parochial relations were in all respects agreeable — his parish
was one of the largest in the Diocese, and his position desirable
and pleasant. No pastor could be more sincerely loved by his
people, or more highly esteemed by the community generally.
Under these circumstances, he was elected to the Episcopate of a
new Diocese which presented a vast field of labor, and with the
whole number of communicants exceeding but by a few, if any,
the number his own parish contained. With this contrast in the
two paths opened before him, many men would have declined
the proposed change. In conversation with the writer as to his
duty to accept or to decline the call, he remarked that he felt
that he had no more right to refuse to go than a general has to
refuse to go when ordered to the front in the hour of battle.
With this conviction of duty, he resigned one of the most desira-
ble positions a presbyter could occupy, and entered upon his new
duties with the same unceasing industry which marked his whole
life. No effort in the line of duty was too great for him, no
labor too severe for him to undertake, and the result has been
to bring to a premature close that life of earnest zeal, of self-
denial, of entire devotion to his Saviour's work."

Some comments on the last remark must be allowed. That in
all human probability, the Bishop's valuable life might have been
somewhat prolonged, if he had taken more thought for himself,
cannot be doubted ; but the question may well be asked, if he had
been less self-forgetful, could he have been the same man in
other respects? An entire and thorough forgetfulness of self
characterized his whole life and labors, and could not but enter
also into questions which concerned his health. Yet, he was far
from being reckless or imprudent. Where he believed that
danger existed, he took every precaution, and said that he would
be glad to see all means of ensuring safety increased rather than
diminished. He would never, he said, stand on one foot, nor
suspend himself by one arm, when he could use both with equal
ease and more safety. He would not heedlessly or uselessly ex-
pose himself to infection ; but he never shrank from visiting those
who needed his pastoral care, because they were ill with a con-
tagious disease ; and when called to make more than daily visits
to a family afflicted with aggravated cases of scarlet fever, several
of which terminated fatally, he established at home a regular
quarantine, not allowing any member of the family to approach
7

98 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

him until he had changed his clothes, and not seeing his child
till the danger was past.

The same conscientious cautiousness would have prevented
him from throwing away his life or wearing himself out by exces-
sive labors, if he had been at all aware that he was in any such
danger. The difficulty was that he was so thoroughly absorbed
in his work that he did not notice that it was wearing upon him
and could not be made to realize the danger until it was too late
for precautions.

XVI.
LIFE AND LABORS IN HARTFORD.

A DELIGHTFUL letter of Bishop Williams, of Connecticut, is
inserted entire.

MiDDLETOWN, June, 1867.
" My Dear Mrs. Burgess :

My recollection of your lamented husband goes back for
more than thirty years ; that is, to his first coming to Hartford in
1834. I was then just entering on my Senior year in the col-
lege, and I remember, as if it was only yesterday, the first time
I ever saw him in the chancel at Christ Church. His slender
form, pale face, and quiet manner all marked the student. His
subdued and reverent air and solemnly impressive tones, as un-
mistakably marked the devout man and earnest pastor. The
impression then made on me never changed, but only deepened,
as years went by.

There was then, as you will remember, only one parish of our
communion in Hartford, and the undergraduates of the college
were your husband's parishioners. In his parochial report for
1837, he mentions that more than thirty of them were communi-
cants. His interest in us was a very real one, and his influence,
though exercised so gently that one hardly knew it was exer-
cised at all, was correspondingly effective. His nature made
him unobtrusive in everything, and in this matter he was particu-
larly so ; but there are many now living, as well as many gone to
their rest, who will testify in the last day that they owe much of all
that they have valued most in life, to his suggestions and wise
counsels.

As a pastor, he was a model. In season and out of season, let
weather, social calls ujjon him, even health, except the illness

LIFE AND LABORS IN IL4RTF0RD. 99

were very severe, be what they might, each afternoon found
him at his work. And these visits were pastoral visits in very
truth ; not in any sense merely social ones. In them he took
cognizance of, and care for all wants, spiritual, mental, bodily.
The afflicted, the sick, the poor, these were the recipients of his
best loved ministrations. He knew his own sheep, and they
knew his voice and followed him. I remember more than one
instance in which he undertook the humblest forms of manual
labor, to help some poor widow or desolate and friendless per-
son. But no one was ever cut so short in speech by him, as one
who attempted to say something civil about it. Indeed he hated
cant of all sorts.

In his study his amazing power of concentrated labor and his
thorough system, enabled him to accomplish more than most men
can, or, at all events, do. His weekly sermons, written whether
he preached them or not — and so resulting in time in a large
unused store — were never postponed for anything else. But
beyond this, for what range of study, and what amount of com-
position, did he not find time ! Alas ! among all these continu-
ous occupations, one thing he forgot, or rather never knew how
to take, namely, recreation. It was foreign to his nature as well
as his habits. If he tried to take it, in any way beyond the hour of
social converse, he made a labor of it, which tired him more than
work.

In his acquirements, what always seemed to strike me most,
was the way in which he combined breadth of view with minute-
ness of detail. The two are certainly not very often found
together. They were in him. I have before me a volume —
Fruits of Endowments — which once belonged to a very dear
friend of his and mine. It contains a catalogue raisonnee of
the works of upwards of two thousand authors who have held
' non-cure endowments' in the mother Church ; and all along its
columns there are corrections of dates, minute alterations, and
additions of facts, which attest the extent of his bibliographical
research. Of course this only falls in with what has become
known by his published works. But none knew this peculiarity
as those who saw it in more private ways.

His studies, however, were always prosecuted under the
priests' law of limitation, ' Holy Scriptures, and such studies as
help to a knowledge of the same.' Even when he delivered
before the Convocation of the College, and in his own parish
church, that charming poeticaf sketch of sacred poetry, he pre •
faced it with an apology, the tenderness and solemnity of which
thrilled many hearts. The graceful Spenserian stanza, swelling
onward 'till the ninth billow melts along the shore,' was pro-
perly adapted to the tones and modulations of his voice, and fell

lOO MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

in wonderfully with his modest personal allusions and general
line of thought. I have heard many poems delivered in my
day, but never one that impressed me more than the one of
which I speak. There are passages in it that ring in my memory
to-day as clearly and as freshly as they rung upon my ear more
than twenty years ago.

In social life, I chiefly knew your husband before he had what
might properly be called a home of his own, a home which was
yours as well as his. My recollections of him here are asso-
ciated with one bright and cherished household, the breaking
up of which clouded many hearts with sorrow, and the sunshine
of which brightens many a memory to-day. How many gath-
ered to it as a centre, in years that are gone ; how few of those
who once met there are now among the living !

' Like clouds that rake the mountain summit,
Or waves that own no curbing hand,'

one and another has gone from earth, till the recalling of those
hours carries one beyond the limits of the earthly life !

Within that circle his natural reserve was cast aside, and a
vein of playfulness discovered itself, which those who only saw
him amid graver cares and labors never dreamed of. It rarely
rose to mirth. Sometimes it unveiled a keen sense of the ridicu-
lous, so keen as for the moment — never more — almost to con-
vulse him, and then all was calm again. Here, too, he allowed
his varied acquirements to appear as he did not elsewhere, and
showed what a conversationalist, had he chosen to permit him-
self to be, he might have been.

With all his gentleness, no man could be severer where he
deemed severity a duty. I remember once when a thoughtless
midergraduate had sent him a mock notice, which he read un-
wittingly at morning service, with what stern denunciation of
rebuke he visited the offence at evening prayer. Few, I imagine,
who heard his words, ever forgot them, and the severity was felt,
because it was then, as, I believe, ever, the severity not of anger
but of sorrow.

I have thus tried, how imperfectly I fully feel, to recall the
late Bishop of Maine, as he was in the days of his Hartford life.
It is a calm and blessed picture that rises before me, as I Avrite
of pastor, scholar, man. Herbert's Country Parson, Dryden's
Sketch of Bishop Ken, Goldsmith's Parish Priest, Shakspeare's
Scholar Prelate, Cowper's Clergyman, all come into my thoughts,
and from all, touches, true to the life, might be selected.

I fear there is little here that can be of service to you, but
what there is comes with sincere sympathy and cherished recol-
lections, from your friend and servant,

J. Williams."

ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. 1 01

XVII.

ELECTION TO THE EPISCOTATE.

A SPECIAL Convention of the Diocese of Maine met at St.
Stephen's Church, Portland, October 4, 1847, ^'^'^^^ Dr. Burgess
was unanimously elected Bishop. His decision having been
already made, there was no occasion for delay, and, at the close
of the General Convention, on Sunday, the 31st of October,
he was ordained and consecrated in Christ Church, Hartford,
by Bishop Chase, of Illinois, at that time the Presiding Bishop.

The sermon was preached by Bishop Henshaw, of Rhode
Island, who, for five years, had held the Episcopal charge of
Maine. Bishops Brownell, Eastburn, and Chase, of New
Hampshire, were also present, and united in the conseration.

On Friday, November 5th, the newly consecrated Bishop left
Hartford, arriving in Gardiner on Saturday evening, and on
Sunday the 7th officiated for the first time as Rector of Christ
Church, Gardiner.

If Dr. Burgess was in the habit of keeping a journal during
his residence in Hartford, it must have been subsequently de-
stroyed, only a few sheets being found. Of these, the first date
is Oct. 4, 1847 j ^^d, as they cover the time of his election and
departure from Hartford, a few extracts may appropriately be
here inserted.

' ' Tuesday, October 5th. After various preparations I left home
about noon for the General Convention. I walked much on
board, and thought much of my dear parish and of the future
which might be before me, and felt how happy would be my lot
might I remain in my present place.

Wednesday, October 6th. The General Convention was
opened at St. John's Church. On arriving there a little before
the time, I was told that I had been elected by the Special Con-
vention in Maine to be their Bishop, and that Mr. Pratt had been
looking for me ; and after I was in my seat in the church, before
the service, Mr. Pratt called me out and gave me the official
communication. It could not be to me after all that had passed
a matter of surprise ; and the deep anxiety of the decision had
for some time been over. God grant that every step may be in

I02 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

His fear and with His grace and blessing; as I am sure that I
have wished that only His will might be done ! The Maine
clergy who were there were exceedingly kind, and stated that
their Convention had been most cordial and happy.

Thursday, October 7th. I wrote and presented to Mr. Pratt
my acceptance of the solemn charge committed to me, if the
action of the Convention upon the subject shall be harmonious
and unobstructed. May the Holy Spirit sanctify all my steps
from the beginning to the close ! Many kind friends here con-
gratulated me or sympathized with me, in language which evinced
their feelings; and this has been chiefly pleasing to me, as ap-
proving my own decision.

Wednesday, October 13th. This morning I learned, to my
surprise, that my colleague, Dr. Jarvis, had not signed my testi-
monial, and had alleged as the ground, my opinions on the
succession in the ministry. He has certainly misunderstood me
greatly, or else he would have rejected Hooker for the same
reason. Drawn, I apprehend, by his influence, or by what he has
said, several delegates, embracing, as I understood, the majority
from three or four Dioceses, have followed the example. It is of
no canonical importance ; but as I feel that, in accepting the
episcopate, I have been making a sacrifice which any good rea-
son, however slight, would have made me wish to avoid, I have
hesitated whether I might not, after stating my views on the sub-
ject in question, which are no more than those of all moderate
divines in the Church, leave it for those gentlemen to decide
whether they would sign the testimonial, and declare publicly
that, without their signature, I would still withdraw. On this
subject I have prayed for guidance; and have come to the con-
clusion that, unless it should appear to be the direct, systematic
refusal of several considerable Dioceses, I should let the matter
proceed ; dreading any such thing as a most wearying and unsa-
tisfactory discussion in public. God will govern all ; and, if I
ought to go to Maine, I scarcely ought to be hindered by such
opposition.

Friday, October, 15th. This morning my consecration received
the assent of the House of Bishops. A short time before the close
of the session of the lower house. Bishop Ives called me out and
desired a short interview after the adjournment. I waited some
time after our house adjourned ; and he came into the church
and asked my views on the bapl^ismal service. Last week Bishop
DeLancey had, in a similar manner, questioned me respecting
the Apostolic succession ; and I had frankly answered, and to his
satisfaction. But I afterwards doubted whether this was not
establishing a bad precedent, and I declined answering Bishop
Ives's cjuestions, except as they might concern some fact which

ELECTION TO THE EPISCOPATE. 103

had been asserted of my conduct. I told him that I was always
extremely ready to state my opinions, and that, the moment the
question of my consecration should be finally decided, I would
answer any inquiry; but that, till then, I stood in the place of
all future candidates, some of whom might hold opinions more
different than mine from his own, and yet not such as to furnish
any impediment which should be permitted to hinder their con-
secration. After some conversation, he told me that, in fact, the
question was already decided, and that he had said 'aye,' upon
which I very freely declared my view of the baptismal service,
to which he could desire to offer no serious objection. The
whole conversation was perfectly kind, and I knew from the
beginning that my reply would at any moment be satisfactory ;
but I felt that questions, at the pleasure of individual bishops,
and not involving any just or real impediment under the laws
and doctrines of the Church, might open the way for great diffi-
culties hereafter. I wrote in the evening my letter of resignation,
with much feeling and with tears. I went afterwards to a hotel
to call on some kind Hartford friends. We could all scarcely
refrain from weeping. ' '

On the 15th of October, 1847, Dr. Burgess addressed the
following letter to the Wardens and Vestry of Christ Church,
Hartford.

" Gentlemen : The informal interview between us a few weeks
since, together with the intelligence which has become public, will
have prepared you for the communication which I am now, with
a shrinking heart, compelled to present.

Having been elected with entire and cordial unanimity to the
ofhce of Bishop of our Church in the Diocese of Maine, I have
seen, after much meditation and very anxious prayers, which
preceded the event itself, no sufficient reason for refusing the
nomination. The necessary testimonials have now passed through
both houses of the General Convention, and received the usual
consent.

It is with the sacrifice of the strongest feelings which can attach
a pastor to a delightful abode, and the dearest friends, that I have
come to this result. Had I felt myself at liberty to follow merely
my own wishes, this election would never have been consummated.
My ministry in the parish of Christ Church, a ministry of thir-
teen years, has been one of so much happiness on my part, and
of so much harmony and such uninterrupted kindness on yours,
and has been attended with so many tokens of the favor and
blessing of God, that 1 cannot close it without emotions more
deep, and tender than in such a communication as this, it might
seem appropriate to express. I came amongst you, young and a

I04 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Stranger. I have passed amongst you the flower of my life, and
every house has become to me a kind of home. So happy in
all social and pastoral relations, I cannot hope to be again. The
sphere to which I go is one in which the Church during my life-
time, will probably furnish no post like that which I relinquish.
But I know that you will appreciate the only motives which can
impel me, and I trust that you will dismiss me with the same
acquiescence which I feel in what seems to me to be the will of
our Lord and Saviour.

I therefore present herewith my resignation of the Rectorship
of Christ Church ; to which the Bishop has consented, by con-
senting to my consecration. This resignation I desire to take
effect from the consecration itself, which will doubtless be fixed
for some day within a fortnight.

May you, my respected and beloved friends, be guided by
heavenly wisdom in the administration of all the affairs of a parish
for which I shall always pray with a peculiar fervency, as my
first and most peaceful charge ! May the good Providence of
God bring to you a wiser and more faithful pastor ; and may the
Holy Spirit pour upon you and those for whom you act, such
dews of His grace, that this congregation may flourish more and
more in all spiritual blessings, as a garden which the Lord hath
planted !

I am, and shall ever remain,

most truly and affectionately,

your friend and servant in Christ,

George Burgess."

This letter having been read at a meeting of the Wardens and
Vestry of the parish, held at the vestry room of the parish on the
1 6th day of October, it was voted, that the letter of resignation
of the Rector be referred to the parish, and that a meeting of
the parish be held at the Chapel, on Thursday, October 21st, at
7 o'clock P. M.

At this meeting the following resolutions were presented and
passed unanimously :

The Rev. George Burgess, D. D., having been elected Bishop
of the Diocese of Maine, and having thereupon tendered his
resignation of the rectorship of this parish to take effect from the
time of his consecration :

Resolved, That we accept his resignation with the profoundest
sorrow and regret; sorrow, that he is so soon to be removed from
us, and the tie to be severed which has united us in the most sacred
relation for the full period of thirteen years ; regret, that this
parish is to be deprived of his prudent counsels, his invaluable
services, his holy ministrations, and of those patient, faithful, and

FAREWELL TO HARTFORD. 105

most abundant labors of love, by which this church has been so
long edified and strengthened, its borders enlarged, and its pros-
perity under God permanently insured.

Resolved, That the warmest affections of the members of this
parish will follow their beloved pastor to the new field of higher
responsibility and more arduous duties, to which in the Provi-
dence of God he has been called ; and that we will never cease
to offer our earnest prayers to the Great Head of the Church, that
His blessing may follow His faithful servant in the sequel of his
life, as it has in its beginning.

Resolved, That the Treasurer of the Parish be directed to pay
to the Rev. Dr. Burgess his accustomed salary until the first day
of April, 1848.

A true copy from the record,

Attest, John S. Gray, Clerk.

xvni.

FAREWELL TO HARTFORD.

On the Sunday before his consecration as Bishop, the 24th day
of October, Dr. Burgess preached his last two sermons as Rector
of the Parish. The concluding passage of each will be given
without comment.

That in the morning was from the words, " Pray for us," found
in the eighteenth verse of the thirteenth chapter of Hebrews, and
closed with these words: —

"After this life there is communion still ; but, on one side at
least, it is no longer the communion of prayer ; because they have
no need of our prayers who are departed, and sleep in Jesus.

But till then, my brethren, pray for us ; and let us say, with
the Prophet Samuel, ' God forbid that we should sin against the
Lord in ceasing to pray for you.' It is all which most of us,
in most circumstances, can do for one another. Each must be
left to contend, comparatively alone, with the difficulties of his
own duty, and the trials to which he is summoned. We must
live very much alone, in that which is most momentous, the real
struggles of the soul, the spiritual life within ; and alone we must
die. Our duties call us away from those who are dearest ; friends
cannot choose their own lot, side by side ; families are scattered
afar, and every tie is interrupted. But all ties can be preserved
by prayer, till they shall be revived in some higher form, in a

lo6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

higher state of being. Blessed be God for this privilege, that
we can be together in soul, though apart; together before Him,
though apart in body. Pray for us when you are assembled in
the house of God ; pray for us, when you pray for the Church in
your family offerings ; pray for us, in the chamber of your secret
devotions ; pray for us, when you think of us, when you hear of
us, when you remember all which has passed between us ; and
by the power of Christian prayer, through our great High Priest,
you will bless us and our labors ; you will grow in grace ; and
you and we shall be preserved in that love which never dies."

In the afternoon, the text was taken from Acts xx. 26. ' ' Where-
fore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood
of all men."

After, with deep humility, expressing his sense of his defi-
ciencies, and yet claiming a right to use the Apostle's language
with reference to the main tenor of his course, he concluded with
these words: —

"And now, my dear brethren, dear to me beyond all my
power to say, dear to me wherever I may be, while I live and
when I die, the time has arrived in which I must commend you
to God and the word of His grace, and leave you to His bless-
ing. I had ever supposed that such a time, whenever it might
come, would find me in my chamber of death; and that my head
would be laid beneath those sods, which cover so many whom
I have attended to the borders of eternity, and with whom I hope
for a blessed resurrection. But the Providence of God has, as
I have fully believed, called me to a post more honorable, per-
haps, but far less inviting to my wishes, and which I should cer-
tainly, had I deemed myself permitted, have declined from the
first instant. I have no thought of repining. I ought not to
speak of any sacrifice. I go, as a soldier, to the spot which is
assigned me in the common warfare, and only because it is assigned
me by the Captain of our salvation. But I am leaving those, from
whom I cannot part without feelings, which I must not attempt
to utter. These sacred walls, these solemn hymns, this beloved
congregation, this crowded altar, this peaceful Chapel, the font,
the Bible, our Morning and Evening, our Sunday and our Week-
day Prayers, the venerated Bishop, the endeared associates, the
cherished College, all which belong to my first, and in one sense,
my only Parish, will be often, often present to my heart, in other
scenes and perhaps less pleasing duties. But one single thought
prevails; and I am strong: Fellow Christians, we part but for a
little while. All of us who are joined in the communion of saints
shall certainly, after we have labored for a little while, meet in

FAREWELL TO LL4RTF0RD. 107

rest upon the everlasting shores. .Oh, may God but grant that
this communion, here and forever, may be the ha])piness of every
soul which parts from me now with one thought of regret or
kindness."

Under this date his journal contains the following record : —

"Sunday, October 24. A day of most affecting recollections.
I went to the Sunday-school, and said, with much diflficulty, a
few parting words to the children. There was not one of them,
perhaps, that remembered any other pastor there; and I could not
say to them all I intended. In the morning I preached from the
words, 'Pray for us.' The afternoon was cloudy and at last
rainy, but the church was filled, and there were not a few strangers
present. I was sustained through the service and sermon with
much calmness, and was grateful to God for this support. My
text was the words, ' I take you to record this day, that I am

pure from the blood of all men.' had brought their

children to be baptized ; the hour was late and the afternoon dark ;
so that, before the close, lights were brought, and I could not
see the faces of the people. It was probably well; and thus I
parted from that most dear parish and church, where, through
thirteen years, I have ministered in peace. God be eternally
praised for all the mercies of those years, and above all, for what-
ever spiritual blessing has attended my labors amongst an affec-
tionate and united people ! And oh, may His grace rest upon
them that they may walk in His fear, and that, unworthy sinner
as I am, I may meet them, through the redeeming blood of Christ,
in the mansions of eternal peace !

Saturday, October 30. This has been, upon the whole, a quiet
and solemn day; notwithstanding the many hindrances of so

much preparation and the arrival of friends I sat in my

study through a part of the afternoon, and laid before God the
solemn thoughts of my heart. Oh, may His grace, on which I
utterly, utterly depend, be with me in these trying hours, and in
all the events to which they open the way !

Sunday, October 31. The day of my birth, and now of my intro-
duction to an office and state, which can close only, in the common
course of events, and should I not prove faithless, with my death.
A day most high and solemn ; and may God so fill me with His
grace, that the remembrance may ever be fresh in my mind, and
be recalled with joy in eternity! I was sustained in an humble,
cheerful frame through almost all the holy services, and although
it seemed to me like the last change, in many respects, yet I was
enabled to intrust all to the Lord our Saviour, to plead His
merits, and to resign myself, 1 trust, to His sacred pleasure. As
it was the Lord's day, few of the clergy could be present; Messrs.

loS MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Bent, Blake, Fales, and my brother from Maine ; Dr. Kip, Mr.
Storrs, Mr. Hubbard, of North Carolina; Messrs. Coxe, Jack-
son, Payne, Williams, Jarvis, Fisher, John Morgan, Long, and
Dr. Totten. Bishop Henshaw preached on the words, ' That thou
mayest learn how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of
God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground
of the truth.' The church was filled with an immense audience,

as, I think, I never saw it before As the morning services

reached till half-past two, we had no service in the afternoon ; .
but St. John's Church was opened at half-past three, having been
closed in the morning. Bishop Eastburn preached at Christ
Church in the evening, on the words, ' Without God in the world,'
and I, for the last time, read Evening Prayer. It happened that
I was left at the church after the congregation had departed, and
the several Bishops, except the eldest, having met in the vestry-
room, had signed my letters of consecration. As I passed down
the dimly-lighted aisle of that beautiful house, thoughts came
which I could not have paused to indulge, and I left the doors
with one brief prayer from the heart as I parted."

Though the Bishop preserved his calmness during the public
services, he broke down completely as soon as he was alone, and
it was some time before he recovered his composure sufficiently
to join the family at the dinner table.

"Wednesday, November 3. This was a day of immense fatigue,
for, unable to visit my parishioners, I had appointed this day
for the parting visits of such of them as wished my kind desires,
counsel, or blessing. Accordingly I remained at Mrs. Morgan's
through the day and evening; and a great company of kind
visitors came from morning to a late hour of the night. Many,
many were the tears which were shed ; and I had the opportunity
of giving some advice, which, I hope, may not be without fruit
hereafter. But, to body and mind, the day was trying indeed."

How trying it had been, his appearance in the evening plainly
testified, for he looked as if he had passed through a serious ill-
ness.

The next day, November 4, he visited the sick of the parish
who could not come to him, and then —

"Took tea in that kindest of homes, the house of Dr. Sumner.
For the last time, I looked on our dear habitation ; made my last
pastoral call, which was on Mrs. Sigourney, at a late hour of the
evening; and returned to one more night's rest under the roof
of my faithful and excellent friend, and almost mother, Mrs.

INTEREST IN OLD FRIENDS RETAINED. 109

Morgan. As we were at prayers, Mr. B called, to my great

joy; as I was enabled to tell him of all which I had done, in
the affairs of our trusteeship. Several of my parishioners have
given us presents of beauty and value ; and all have been kind
beyond description. May God remember and reward their
affectionate goodness ! ' '

"Friday, November 5," after mentioning some friends who
" rose early and took leave of us with every sign of kind and
tender regard and many tears," he added, " all felt as we felt 3
and I was glad to hide my face when I was in the carriage."

XIX.

INTEREST IN OLD FRIENDS RETAINED.

Before recoimting the Bishop's labors in Maine, it is proper
to show how his affections clung to his first parish. With many
of his people he maintained a frequent correspondence, and until
a few years of his death he made annual visits to Hartford.

It was on one of these he remarked, that he seemed only then
to appreciate the extent of the sacrifice that he made in leaving
Hartford. He fully realized what it was to leave so many dear
friends ; but he did not realize how much there was in Hart-
ford itself that was attractive. He said that while thei;^ as Rector
of the parish he was so much absorbed by his duties, and op-
pressed by the weight of responsibility resting upon him, that he
had no time to look around. But when he returned as a visitor
and looked around the noble church, crowded with an attentive
congregation, in which he had ministered so many years, and
then at the beautiful city and the lovely country surrounding it,
he felt its attractions as he never did before. But he never re-
gretted the step he had taken ; never doubted that he had been
guided aright.

In a letter, dated April 12, 1848, he writes : — •

"I rejoice to hear that Mr. Chauncey is so much esteemed
and beloved. The kind and stedfast people of the Parish of
Christ Church must make any faithful clergyman happy whose
lot is cast amongst them. I look back upon my long abode

1 1 o MEMOIR OF BISHOP B L 'R GESS.

there, with recollections so delightful and in other instances so
sorrowful, and yet always so sacred, as it seems to me, can
hardly be the portion of others. But I have never doubted
that I was right in coming to this post. Our hills are not so
green, nor does our clear sparkling river glide through such
meadows, nor is our town much more than a rude village in
comparison, nor is our church, pretty and quiet as it is, like that
thronged and stately temple ; but then, here are the souls of so
many men, spread over so wide a territory, and so much is to
be done, and the harder it may be to do it, the more is it
needed ; and in the thought that I am needed, and that whatever
I can accomplish is a true service to the cause of Christ in so
broad a sphere, I am abundantly happy."

And again, in the same year, he wrote to a Hartford friend : —

"You can hardly think how strange is the feeling with which
I see a Hartford newspaper. I seemed, when I left, to die, as
it were to so many connections ; and now, it seems as if I looked
back into a world which I had left. But not the less, believe
me, do I hail every message or messenger that comes thence ;
and not the less does my heart glow for all my dear friends,
amongst whom you and yours have a foremost place."

And again, having heard that Mrs. Nathan Morgan, the lady
with whom he lived during the first twelve years of his ministry
in Hartford, had rented her house to her pastor, he wrote from
Gardiner, under date Sept. i, 1854: —

'' It wiUnot be so strange to see Dr. Clark as any other person
out of your family. So long has it been, not by right, but by
your kindness, a parsonage, that it will be almost natural to en-
counter there the Rector of Christ Church. How many delight-
ful hours and happy months have I spent, looking out every day
upon the same trees ! I could easily drop some tears upon my
paper, if I should give way to all the thoughts which come into
my mind in the remembrance of my old study. But what is
past has not been in vain. I hope that, sinful as my neglect of
duty has been, and much as I recall only to lament it, yet both
I, and you, and many others, may be permitted to praise God
eternally that we were permitted to worship and serve Him in
His holy Church together. Thus far He has brought us ; and
let us serve Him, and trust Him, my dear friend, till our work
and pilgrimage are over. It will be soon enough ; the time that
remains for growing in grace and for doing good is short : let us
not waste it, either in trifles or in unavailing sorrows ; but en-
deavor cheerfully and faithfully to give all diligence that we may

INTEREST IN OLD FRIENDS RETAINED. Ill

make our calling and election sure. Then, all will certainly be
well in a little while." " You will not suppose, I am sure, that,
if I leave much of my correspondence with my Hartford friends
to take place through my dear Avife, it indicates any want of
affectionate remembrance. It is not well possible for me, with-
out neglecting duties, to give any very large amount of time to
correspondence with my most beloved friends. But, I trust that,
as long as I can handle a pen, I shall never cease to use it some-
times, in addressing a friend like her who for so many years
was my daily associate, and never weary in all which could con-
tribute to my comfort and happiness. You may be sure of this ;
and you will never think of imputing my silence to any motive
that is at variance with the truest and most affectionate gratitude."
" In the midst of this changing world, which seems to be glid-
ing from beneath our feet as one event comes to us after another,
where shall we rest, in health or in sickness, if not in the shelter
of God's pavilion, at the feet of our gracious Saviour ! Blessed
be His holy name that we can there have peace, that He will
cast out none who come to Him ; and that in the time of trouble
He is especially near ; as, when He was upon earth. He went
about doing good, amongst all who suffered. You will look up
to Him, I hope, in every trouble, and through Him, to that
world without tears, which is so near. I offer my poor prayers
constantly, that you may have all which God gives to them that
love Him."

Three letters are added to close this part, two to persons under
affliction, and one to a young person who had lately been con-
firmed.

Gardiner, December 27, 1847.
' ' My dear Mrs. Killam : I have just heard of the blow which has
fallen upon your family circle, and upon all who knew and loved
your excellent sister. As I have recently written to Mr. Tudor,
and received his kind reply, I thought that it might be better,
perhaps, to address a letter to you, which you can easily show to
him, if you think that it would gratify him in his affliction. Well
as he is prepared for that affliction by its gradual approach, and
by all the rich consolation which the character of her life and
death has so abundantly afforded, I presume that it will still
bring feelings which he could never have fully imagined before
the actual arrivah of the parting hour. May God bestow upon
him the grace which may sustain him in patience ; and grant
him such a firm and humble faith, and such a peaceful hope in
Christ, that he may pass cheerfully through the remainder of his
pilgrimage, in the prospect which is open to us by the Gospel,

112 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

of ' the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose
names are written in heaven, and the spirits of just men made
perfect' !

I know, my dear Mrs. Killam, that it must have been a pecu-
liar trial to you, to be prevented by your own ill-health from
much, perhaps from all, attendance on your sister in her last
days. Yet, it must comfort you to know that there was no pos-
sible alleviation of suffering which can be furnished by the affec-
tion of children, consort or friends, which was not gathered
around her death-bed. Scarcely ever have I met a person who
had so strongly fixed the love of those who, for many years, had
enjoyed her acquaintance. I did not know her till she was al-
ready somewhat enfeebled, or, at least, disposed to a more re-
tired habit of life ; and, though I fully perceived and cordially
appreciated her excellencies, yet I was often much struck by the
strong feeling of those who remembered her at an earlier period.
To have had a dear friend, on whose life we can thus look back,
is itself a blessed privilege ; but, in Christ, we have, what is in-
finitely more, the hope of enjoying the same communion in a
world where it shall be perfect and endless.

My thoughts often recur to you, and the kind expressions
which you employed at our last interview ; and I would gladly
communicate to you, by writing, any satisfaction which you
might have been able to receive from my visits, had I remained
in Hartford. I could only have spoken, when you were suffer-
ing, of things which are quite familar to your mind ; but which
may be made, by a malady like yours, particularly difficult to
hold fast at all seasons. A mind always active and imaginative,
as I very well know, while it has remarkable facilities for apply-
ing some truths to its own benefit, is in danger of losing sight of
others ; or else, of losing that clearness of view which is most
full of comfort, and losing it through the very copiousness of
its own operations. There is a boundless space for thought and
for conjecture, in the subjects which are presented to us by reve-
lation, and which become matter of faith. It is not wrong that
the understanding and the fancy should be exercised upon them ;
but the simplest truths of the Gospel are, after all, the most pre-
cious. Nothing will supply the want of these ; and nothing else
has the same power to soothe, to strengthen, and to satisfy.
The highest and the humblest intellect are here alike. That
' God was, in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not
imputing their trespasses unto them ;' that Christ is ' the way,
the truth, and the life;' that 'there is no other name under
heaven whereby we must be saved ;' that ' him that cometh to
Him He will in nowise cast out;' and that they that believe
must be careful to maintain good works ; these are truths with

INTEREST IN OID FRIENDS RETAINED. 113

which we can never dispense ; and it is in meditation on these
and such as these that we shall find peace. They are to be ap-
plied to all circumstances ; they are to be taken in connection
with all the glorious revelations of the life to come ; there is
nothing which we can know or think that may not add to our
happiness if viewed in the light of such truths; but these must
be the foundation of that hope on which we are to build for
eternity. I trust, my dear friend, that your heart rests upon
them ; and that, however far your imagination may at any time
wander, your heart always seeks its repose in * the truth as it is
in Jesus.'

The anxiety of Mrs. Tudor to see her grand-daughter's little
infant, reminded me of a similar instance here. A young lady,
who was on her death-bed when I came, and whose last hours
I had the happiness of witnessing, one who died in all the peace
of a faith long proved and tried, had the same desire to see the
young child of a brother, which was but a few weeks old. Two
days before her death, they arrived ; and when she had seen the
child, she felt as if every wish had been granted, and believed
that she would die that very night ; and she even expressed the
thought that possibly it might be permitted to her, in the world
to which she was going, to watch over that little one hereafter.
I mention it only as an instance of the affinity between the inno-
cence of infancy and the holiness of Christian death.

I am, my. dear Mrs. Killam,

Your affectionate friend,

George Burgess."

Gardiner, Me., Oct. 2, 1848.

"My Dear Sir: It is but two or three days since I heard
of your great loss ; and, although I' knew before that Mrs. Nichols
was regarded as failing in health, I was not aware that her danger
was so immediate. When I saw her in June, she appeared to
me, perhaps, more weak in some respects, yet less liable to some
of the troubles which she had apprehended ; and I hoped that
she might yet have many days before her. It has pleased God
that it should be otherwise ; and we must all be thankful now
that the last two or three years had so far prepared the minds of
her friends, as well as her own, for a peaceful though painful
separation at last.

Mrs. Nichols was one whom I always most deeply respected,
and sincerely loved ; and these sentiments grew with the years of
our acquaintance ; till I felt that there were few whose friendship
I ought so much to value, or whose character I could so much
revere. Her conscientiousness in duty, and her benevolence of
heart, were visible to all ; but I saw, as her pastor, the increasing

114 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

signs of a ripeness of piety, a humility and a delight in the
service of God, which seemed to be making her more and more
'meet for an inheritance with the saints in light.' She had lived
an eminently useful life, and had been abundantly honored in
her generation. Much prosperity had been awarded to her, and
it was not envied in one so exemplary ; and when she was afflicted,
the effect upon her own heart was the best token that she received
it as the chastisement of Him who chastens those whom He loves.
I believe that few lives have been more honored or more happy.

You, my dear sir, are called to the most tender of all human
trials. I will not say more of it than to assure you of my affec-
tionate sympathy and prayers. But I know that you will be sus-
tained by the humble hope of a day, which cannot be very
distant from any of us, when all this period of trial shall be ex-
changed for that world, where the just are united and made per-
fect. I trust that, in resignation to the divine will, and in reliance
on the redeeming mercy of God through our Lord and Saviour,
you will be enabled to await that day in peace ; and that, when
it arrives, you will 'know in whom you have believed,' and will
be found a follower of ' them who, through faith and patience,
inherit the promises.'

Do not trouble yourself to answer this letter, unless at some
moment of entire leisure ; as I write only to satisfy my own feel-
ings. I beg, as does Mrs. Burgess, to be very affectionately
remembered to Mrs. Toucey and the other members of your
family.

I am, my dear sir, most truly, your faithful friend,

George Burgess."

C. Nichols, Esq.

Gardiner, Me., July 23, 1S51.

"My Dear : When I met your father, a few weeks

since, in New York, he told me that you had lately received
confirmation; and expressed at the same time a great confidence
in the sincerity and earnestness of your religious purposes, and
a fatherly anxiety that you might so persevere as to be always
happy in your Christian duties, and to furnish a powerful exam-
ple to your younger sister and brothers. I too have a great in-
terest in them as well as in you ; and, therefore, I shall venture
to address to you a few words, just as if I were still, what I once
was, your own pastor and frequent guest.

I do not doubt, my dear , that you have been confirmed,

with a simple desire to fulfil your duty ; to take upon you your
baptismal covenant; and, by God's grace, to walk in it all the
days of your life. You have, in this, done well, and chosen
the better part; and in having so early made your choice, have
placed yourself where you have the best warrant to expect the

INTEREST IN OID FRIENDS RETAINED. 115

blessing of your heavenly Father, who has said that His holy
wisdom, with all its treasures, shall be found by those who seek
it early. I trust that you will never think for a single hour that
you have been hasty. There are persons who are but too ready
to treat the religion of the young as if it could not be settled and
constant. But they are greatly mistaken ; for every step which
we take in the right way makes all the following steps so much
the more easy. Never allow youself to doubt that you have done
as you ought, in coming to confirmation, and, as I hope you
have done or will at no distant day, to the Holy Communion.
If you should feel that your mind had been in any respect less
prepared than it should have been, pray that it may be more
prepared hereafter for every renewal of your covenant at the
Lord's Table. Pray for a deeper repentance, a stronger faith,
a warmer love, and a stricter watchfulness; but never permit
yourself to think that you could have been wrong in seeking the
grace of God through His own ordinance, or in assuming your
baptismal engagements by your own act, as was your bounden
duty.

You have now before you life, with all its trial ; and your work
is, to persevere patiently in well-doing. I am sure that you meet
temptations, though I do not know exactly in what form they
would be strongest. It will be well for you to watch yourself,
and observe where you are weakest, and, perhaps, to ask the
advice of your parents or some dear friend ; and wherever you
are most in danger, to strive there to be best armed, with prayer
and stedfast efforts. I do not think that you will be as much
attracted as many young people by levity and the brilliancy of
worldly pleasures. It will probably be easy for you to pur-
sue a course of correct and blameless conduct; blameless, I
mean, in the general view of others, though your own heart will
always tell you of much which conscience must condemn. But
be always endeavoring to ' lay aside every weight, and the sin
that doth so easily beset you,' and to add something to your
character, something which may make you a fitter and more lovely
example of the effects of religion, so that you may thus the more
honor and serve your Saviour, and win others to go with you to
eternal joy. Above all things, however, do not trust in yourself,
nor forget that, whatever you may do, you will be compelled to
acknowledge yourself an unprofitable servant, and to rely only,
as a sinner, on the Saviour of sinners. You may not feel in all
respects as those do who have lived many years in habits of bold
wickedness or of extreme thoughtlessness, and then have been
brought to repentance ; but let it still be the foundation of all
your hope that the Lord of glory died, the just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God; and that, because He died, the

Ii6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Holy Ghost is given us, to cleanse our hearts and make them a
holy temple, and prepare them for the pureness of heaven. Your
religion must be built upon this rock, for other foundation can
no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.

As the eldest child of a family, you, my dear C , have a

high responsibility. I hope that you will be enabled to go on
as you have begun, leading the others by your fair example to
the paths of peace and love, until, by God's blessing, all of you
may be gathered, with your parents, around the altar of our
Saviour, in the full hope of everlasting union in the glorious
temple above. Such is my prayer for you all, and, on behalf
of my dear godsons, I rejoice that their sister has so early taught
them the way in which they should go, that they may be happy
here and forever.

I am, my dear young friend, very affectionately yours,

George Burgess."

XX.

GARDINER AND MAINE.

Turning once more to the Bishop's private journal, we find
him recording a stormy passage in the boat from Portland to
Gardiner on the 6th of November, 1847, ^ ^^.te arrival, and a
hospitable welcome to the home of the Hon. R. H. Gardiner,
at that time the Senior Warden of the parish.

On Monday he mentions the arrival of his furniture, which
had passed through some danger: —

" There was some talk of throwing some portion of the load
overboard. My books would have been likely to suffer first, as
they were so heavy; but the captain encouraged the passengers
by telling them that the furniture of the minister was on board,
and all passed by."

"November 3d. We learned that on Saturday a dreadful
accident befel the very train of cars in which, on Friday, we
entered Boston. The axle broke, and seven persons at least
were killed. Oh, what thanks do we owe to the Lord for His
preserving goodness to me and mine upon our way ! May He
make me so grateful, that my life, which might have been for-
feited with theirs, may speak His praise !"

On Thursday, November 25th (Thanksgiving Day), he admin-
istered in St. Stephen's Church, Portland, for the first time, the

GARDINER AND MAINE. II7

holy rite of confirmation, both preaching and addressing the
candidates (to quote his own words), "with an earnest sense of
my responsibility, and the solemn interests of the occasion. In
the act itself, the laying on of hands, my soul was much moved."

" Friday, December 24th." After mentioning the Christmas
Eve service, he writes: "Blessed, forever blessed be God for
the hope in Christ which I hold fast to-night; and for these
gladdening, glorious tidings of peace on earth, good-will to men,
which I am permitted to proclaim!"

"Friday, December 31st. On this, the last day of the year
1847, the thermometer was as high as 48, and it almost seemed
as if the river would open. This is nearly without example. * *
Beautifully and amidst blessings closes the year. May its many
sins be forgiven for Jesus' sake ! ' '

At this time there Avere but very few miles of even the chiefly
travelled parts of Maine supplied with railroads. Much hard
riding was required of the Bishop in making his visitations.

"Saturday, January ist, 1848. Before breakfast I went down
to secure a passage in the mail for Augusta; but the mail had
arrived early, and was just about departing, and the driver
would not wait till I could return for my baggage. To overtake
the stage before it should leave Augusta, I was obliged to take
a private conveyance, and go off without my breakfast. I arrived
in time, and reached Bangor at half past eleven at night. ' '

So little account did the Bishop make of the physical trials
and fatigues which were connected with his labors that he men-
tioned them even in his own family only incidentally, never in a
tone of complaint; and at no time were they forced upon the
notice of the Church. When in public meetings he listened to
stories of Western missionary life, he must sometimes have
thought how he could match the tales ; for he might have told
of a long ride of eighty miles on the outside of a crowded stage,
with the mercury very far below zero ; and of a night ride over
a lonely road, where, in twenty-three miles, only one house was
seen, through a region where wolves were making themselves
known, and where a bear came out of the woods and watched
the carriage as it passed ; of driving himself on the coldest day
of a cold winter, with the mercury 40° below zero, six miles to
keep an engagement, and, finding that he was not expected and

Ii8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

his journey useless, returning immediately to attend a funeral in
his own parish ; and of another vain attempt to fulfil an appoint-
ment, when, public conveyance having failed, he endeavored to
drive himself through a drifting snow-storm, and only relinquished
the attempt when he was convinced that neither he nor his horse
could go farther.

As the history of the Bishop's work in Maine will be written
by another pen, all that will be attempted here will be a brief
and rapid sketch of his more private life, with the introduction
occasionally of a characteristic letter. In* the infancy of the
Diocese, while the demands upon him were more limited than
at a later period, he found time to write a book which had long
been in his mind — a book on death, which was completed and
published in 1850, under the name of the "Last Enemy."

In 1 85 1, an important movement was made in Portland which
resulted in the establishment of a second parish by the name of
St. Luke's. How carefully he guarded against all which might
create dissension, how earnestly he labored for peace, yet how
frank and plain-spoken he was when he deemed it necessary, will
be shown by his correspondence with the first Rector of St. Luke's
Parish, Bishop Southgate, lately returned from his missionary
jurisdiction, a correspondence honorable to both parties: —

Gardiner, April 21, 1851.

''Right Reverend and Dear Sir : I cannot but rejoice in
every movement which promises to assist us in extending the
privileges of our Church in any portion of this State ; and, sin-
cerely trusting that the blessing of God will guide the newly
organized parish at Portland, and give success to their under-
taking, I would assure them of my best wishes and prayers, and
of every aid in my power.

That in the commencement of such a Avork, they should gladly
avail themselves of the services of a clergyman of abilities and
experience like your own, residing amongst them, deeply inte-
rested in their cause, unemployed, and willing to accept such a
measure of remuneration as their circumstances may admit, was
to be expected ; and in some former conversations, when you have
alluded to this subject, I have remarked that this was an advan-
tage which could seldom exist. We were speaking, however, of
services of a somewhat incidental and experimental character ;
such as you might in courtesy be requested to perform in any
parish, and such as your general desire to do good would prompt

GARDINER AND MAINE. 119

you to offer gratuitously, or almost gratuitously, while you were
awaiting employment in another and a more appropriate position.
With regard to such services there could be no question.

At present, other considerations are unavoidable. A parish is
now organized ; and although the terms of its invitation to you
are only ' to officiate for the time being,' yet this is an invitation
to labors, indefinite as to their duration, but distinct as to their
nature, and distinctly those of a parish minister, of a minister
laying the foundations of a permanent parochial system. You
describe to them the system which you propose to yourself; and
they reply that those ' are matters which they prefer to leave to
their ministers.' I must regard the principles and prospects in-
volved as essentially the same as if you were called to assume the
Rectorship.

In this view, your position towards the Diocese and its Diocesan
must be entirely peculiar. You are not, and cannot be a clergy-
man of the Diocese, subject to its canons, and responsible to its
authorities. I have no power to receive you as such ; nor is it
clear that I can exercise any official influence over your ministe-
rial acts, except in the single matter of giving or withholding my
consent to your connection with a parish. It is obviously impos-
sible that I should favor an arrangement which places you under
such circumstances, at the head of a parish in this Diocese, unless
there be some distinct assurance which shall be equivalent in its
effect to the ordinary canonical obligations. I should be glad,
on this point, to consult the Standing Committee before any final
understanding ; but I may say that, unless otherwise advised by
them, I should expect from you a fraternal pledge that you would
pay the same regard to any advice of the Bishop and Standing
Committee which it is generally understood that duty and pro-
priety demand from every presbyter ; that you would perform
whatever the canons require of ministers of parishes ; and that in
the event that you could not comply with the expressed wishes
of the diocesan authorities, in any matter, you will relinquish the
charge of the congregation. I am aware that this last stipulation
is one into which no presbyter could be required to enter; but
it seems to me to be fully justified by the absence of all control
which would else exist in any doubtful case, and by the manifold
evils which would spring from any appearance of contention in an
instance so exceptional as the relation between yourself and me.
Since I would wish, too, that you should not be under the
slightest misunderstanding of my view of the subject, I will be
perfectly frank and explicit in stating the twofold ground of the
apprehensions with which I regard an arrangement that would
else afford me unqualified pleasure, and, on account of which, I
deem such pledges peculiarly necessary, though in no case should

120 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

I judge them superfluous. These are times when the danger of
Anti-Protestant principles is but too real. I impute to you no
such principles. But you have spent your ministerial life in
intimate association with Churches which are not Protestant ;
your tastes, habits of thought, and opinions have received a bias
from such associations ; you have publicly defended the severest
of all ecclesiastical proceedings against men who, on the plea of
conscience, separated from such Churches ; and I cannot but
look with some solicitude to the impress which you may stamp
upon an infant parish. If I knew that it would be otherwise
than decidedly Protestant, no inducement would wring from me
any furtherance which I could withhold.

The second ground is the danger of collisions to which I
have supposed that you might be more than usually liable.
You have never held a subordinate station in the Church, and
have never been a pastor; and I honestly believe that to a natu-
ral energy of will and rigidness of principles, unmoulded by the
influence of such situations in which we learn to bend to the views
of others, is to be ascribed most of the want of harmony in
your missionary relations, as well as of anything uncomfortable
in your position towards the Rector of St. Stephen's, whom
yet I know that you exceedingly regard and respect. I do most
gladly say that I have found you desirous to avoid breaches and
ready to heal them ; nevertheless, I cannot too strongly express
my dread of any strife between the two churches at Portland
or their ministers.

If you cannot determine beforehand that, whatever may be
the degree of want of sympathy, there shall be no jealousy, to
be followed by an established icy coldness; no suspicion, no
thought of slights received, no taking of off"ence, even though it
should seem to be given, you are not, in my judgment, the per-
son who is called to commence a second parish in any city.

I have now told you, my dear brother, all that is in my heart.
If, knowing these views, you are willing to give the assurance to
which I have referred, you are at liberty to regard this letter as
the expression of my assent to the arrangement proposed, with
the single reservation that the Standing Committee, who will
meet within three weeks for another purpose, may propose any
modification, should they deem it essential. Let me say, too,
as I am sure I may, for my beloved friend and brother, Mr.
Pratt, that to no heart will it give a sincerer pleasure than to his,
to see another congregation of the Church striving together with
his own for the faith of the Gospel, and joined to his own in
unity of the spirit and in the bond of peace.

I am. Right Reverend and dear Sir, most truly, your friend
and brother, George Burgess."

Right Reverend Dr. Southgate.

GARDINER AND MAINE. 1 21

Portland, April 25, 1857.
"Right Reverend Bishop Burgess.

Right Reverend and Dear Sir : I received your letter of
the 2 2d yesterday, and have made it the subject of conference
with a few judicious friends, as well as of much private consider-
ation. To the terms proposed by you, upon which you think
my acceptance of the invitation from St. Luke's Church should
be based, I have no objection. On the contrary, they seem to
me no more than I should myself ask if I were in your position,
only, that with regard to the last-mentioned stipulation, I should
require more time for reflection in case I were forming a perma-
nent connection with St. Luke's Church. I am not certain that
there might not be some modification of it which would secure
the object desired, and leave me under something more nearly
approaching to canonical rule. As the case now stands, how-
ever, I accept it with the others, and only ask that if, in the
Providence of God, I should be called to the rectorship of the
church, and should find it convenient to accept it, I may be at
liberty to propose such a modification as I have alluded to. I
do not anticipate such an issue, but would be understood as
accepting this stipulation only for my present relation to St.
Luke's, and while that continues. I can hold no other without
a distinct and additional action on the part of the parish ; and
only in that case, and in case I should wish to accept the rector-
ship, would I desire to propose a change, and perhaps not, on
full reflection, even then. For the business in hand and while
acting under the invitation which I have received from the par-
ish, I accept the stipulation as it stands — as you will see by the
inclosed document, which I have drawn up for the purpose.

With regard to the first ground of the apprehensions which
you entertain, I hardly know what to say. Mere professions on
such a subject are doubtless good as far as professions go, but
they are often ineffectual towards removing misapprehension.
If it would be any relief to your mind to have me say that I
adhere most strongly to the Protestant principles of our Church,
that I cherish and love them, that I not only have no Romaniz-
ing tendencies, but that I view them in others with peculiar dis-
favor and aversion, you may have, and now have, that declara-
tion, in the most unequivocal sense and terms. That I mean to
conduct the new parish on these principles, not swerving, either
to the right hand or to the left, from the just and fair medium ot
moderation which our Church holds, is also my settled purpose ;
and if you should ever see me turning from it, in either direction,
I should feel grateful for a word of warning from you.

As to the second, I have more hope that your fears will be
easily quieted. I have seen Mr. Pratt to-day, and I called upon

122 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

him with the determination not to accept the invitation unless
there should be a fair prospect of future harmony between us.
All that I could hope for, from a single interview, has been re-
alized— more than realized. He met me with a cordial and
kind manner which I fully appreciated, and, I hope, fully recip-
rocated. Many things were explained which had given me
uneasiness, and which had disquieted the members of the new
parish ; other things were also explained on my part. Stories
were rife with regard to Mr. Pratt's alleged opposition to the
parish which required explanation, but which, until now, I have
not been in a position to bring to his notice. They prove to be
groundless; and I have had much pleasure this afternoon in
setting the minds of the members of the parish right upon the
subject. I am sure that this first act of my ministry has been
productive of good ; and I hope that the future will be but a
continuance of the like experience. I have every reason to
believe that our relations will be entirely amicable and cordial.
Nothing shall be wanting on my part to make them so ; and I
shall be grateful for any suggestions that you may give me, now
or hereafter, tending to that result.

I will reserve for another communication various particulars
concerning the new parish which will be of interest to you ; and,
asking a place in your prayers, both for St. Luke's and for my-
self in my somewhat peculiar and difficult position, and also for
myself a place in your counsel and guidance, and, above all,
in your heart, I am, with sincere regard and respect.

Your faithful brother and servant,

Horatio Southgate."

While in the results of the Bishop's public labors in his Diocese,
there was much to encourage him, he encountered also many
discouragements. It repeatedly happened that he found promis-
ing openings for the Church in different parts of the State, and
when all seemed ready to organize a new parish, the leading man
in the movement, perhaps the only one on whom they could de-
pend to act as a leader, would remove with his family to the West
or to California, and all would be abandoned. But he comforted
himself with the thought that the seed sown in Maine would per-
haps bear more abundant fruit in the region to which it had been
transplanted.

A more discouraging feature was the difficulty of obtaining
laborers. So serious a hindrance did he find this difficulty, that

GARDINER AND MAINE. 123

at one time he resorted to the method of inserting the following
advertisement in one of the religious papers.

''The Bishop of Maine would be extremely grateful for the
opportunity of communicating with several clergymen who may
be willing, in a missionary spirit, to accept for a time the charge
of parishes somewhat isolated in their position : requiring pa-
tience, energy, and a constitution capable of bearing a bracing
climate ; imposing the necessity of some travel ; having good
churches, and offering salaries of $500, $600, $700, or $750. This
rather unusual mode of application is justified by distance from
the centres of ecclesiastical information, the difficulties of pro-
tracted correspondence, and the necessities, too long unsupplied,
of suffering congregations and missions."

It was, perhaps, at the same time that he wrote the article
which follows, with the intention of sending it to one of the
Church papers. As it was never published, it is inserted here to
show how much he needed his cheerful temperament in such a
discouraging field.

"The lack of laborers for the harvest may be illustrated by
the actual history of the efforts made to furnish, within the past
year, a certain parish with a rector. It is in a town of 4000 in-
habitants j has existed seven or eight years; has a neat little
church and organ ; is free from debt ; has fifty communicants ;
is extremely well ordered, harmonious and devoted to the Church ;
and, with the aid of missionary funds, offers a salary of seven
hundred dollars. The only objection was that the parish, though
otherwise delightfully situated, is remote, as far as any place in
the Eastern States can be called remote.

This narrative may also illustrate the anxieties which some-
times attend the work of those on whom devolves ' the care of
all the Churches.'

Mr. A. was called from the rectorship of this parish to a larger
charge in another Diocese ; and left an united people who
regretted the necessity of a change.

Mr. B. was a clergyman of the Diocese, at that moment disen-
gaged ; and overtures were first made to him ; but he had been
twice attacked with serious illness, and believed it necessary to
seek a different climate ; and after some months took a parish
near New York.

Mr. C. had previously expressed by letter some willingness to
remove to this Diocese. A communication to him brought back
the reply that he had very recently removed to another.

124 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Mr. D., a deacon, officiated for three or four Sundays, without
any expectation that a permanent relation would be established.

Mr. E. had removed from the Diocese, but was not at home
in his new residence, and had spoken of a return. He answered
to the application that the distance and some social reasons would
forbid this particular change of location.

Mr. F., a clergyman of ability and excellence, formerly of the
Diocese, responded rather favorably ; when some hesitation arose ;
and he soon accepted a more important parish within the Diocese.

Mr. G., a young clergyman, had written to the Bishop, know-
ing he sought laborers. But 'after prayerful consideration,'
it seemed to him best to decline an invitation, seeing ' no special
call of Providence to so distant a field.'

Mr. H. was a distinguished clergyman, formerly of the Diocese ;
and just at this time released from any charge by broken health,
but recovering. The idea of usefulness here for a while, if no
wider field appeared, was suggested to him in a passing way ; but
the health of his family compelled him ' to seek a more genial
clime.'

Mr. I., just ordained, was recommended, and seemed ready
to go to any field ; but after some little time, found that he had
' a preference for a more^western field, and away from the sea
coast, of the climate of which he had a little fear.'

Mr. J. found the salary insufficient, when he considered the
expenses of removal ; and though at first desirous to come to the
Diocese, was induced to accept a position nearer his previous
home.

Mr. K. also had offers of an equal or larger salary, without
going to so great a distance.

Mr. L., after some correspondence, believed that, though with-
out permanent charge, he should find other prospects opening in
the Diocese with which he was connected.

Mr. M., who had desired employment in the Diocese in which
this parish is situated, found it with a salary a little larger in his
own.

Mr. N. slightly misunderstood the prosposal, and when the
error was corrected, had already entered into other engagements.

Mr. O. ' would not hesitate a moment, were it not for his
prospects' in his own neighborhood.

Mr. P., without a charge, could not trust, so far north, the
health of children accustomed to a more southern air.

Mr. Q. was anxious for a post ; but was recommended by no
one with any confidence.

Mr. R. saw several providential reasons which determined
him, while otherwise much at a loss to decide, and unemployed.

Mr. S. regarded the subject favorably ; but received another
and nearer call.

BISHOP BURGESS AND THE MEMORIAL. 125

Mr. T., who knew the parish, offered his services; but there
was cause to apprehend that he would not be met with cordiality.

Mr. U. actually visited the parish ; was favorably impressed,
and seemed on the point of accepting it, when his own parish
increased his salary, and held him back.

Mr. v., while deliberating, was called to a position of greater
promise.

Mr. W., though desirous to come, had a family whose expenses
he could not meet with this salary.

So stood the parish at the latest date."

XXI.

BISHOP BURGESS AND THE MEMORIAL.

The Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg, himself prominently connected
with the plans of the memorial, has kindly supplied this "^Section
of the Memoir.

During the session of the General Convention of the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church in the year 1853, a memorial, signed by a
number of Presbyters, was presented to the House of Bishops
touching the actual posture of our Church in relation to the great
moral and social necessities of the day. Referring to the divided
and distracted state of our Protestant Christianity, the new and
subtle forms of unbelief, the consolidated forces of Romanism,
and the gross ignorance of the Gospel, especially among the
lower classes of our cities, the memorial presented the inquiry
whether the time had not arrived for the adoption of measures to
meet these exigencies, more comprehensive than any yet provided
for by our present ecclesiastical system ; in other words, whether
the Protestant Episcopal Church, with only her present canonical
means and appliances, her fixed and invariable modes of public
worship, and her traditional customs and usages, is competent to
the work of preaching and dispensing the Gospel to all sorts and
conditions of men, and so to adequately fulfil the mission of a
catholic church in this land and this age. The memorial was
referred to the commission by a large majority of the Bishops
(20 to 4) with instructions to take into consideration the subjects
thereof, to receive communications in relation to the same, and
to report to the next General Convention. Dr. Burgess was one
of the five Bishops who composed this commission, and proved
himself a most earnest and diligent member. Together with
Bishop Alonzo Potter, another of the members, he took a lead in

126 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

the deliberations of the commission, was nearly the only one who
attended all its meetings, gave a patient hearing to all the com-
munications made to it, and in connection with Bishop Potter, was
the author of the resolutions and of the several forms of prayer,
which accompanied the report of the commission to the House of
Bishops in 1856. The characteristic sound judgment of Bishop
Burgess was apparent in his treatment of the various questions
which came up in the consideration of the memorial ; while he
sympathized with its spirit and cordially approved its object, he
impartially viewed its suggestions and propositions on all sides.
He favored the plea for adapting the Church to the times, but
not by departing in the least from her "good old ways." He
believed she should be more flexible in her services and usages,
but he would guard her against being too facile. He was con-
stitutionally conservative, and on principle progressive ; with the
two elements duly proportioned, he was a progressive conserva-
tive, and a conservative progressive. Thus, in his "contribution"
published in the memorial papers, speaking of liturgical changes,
after stating, with excellent judgment, the contingencies which
justify or call for them, he presents with unbiassed impartiality
the arguments against and for them. "All liturgical changes of
every kind are powerfully opposed by the consideration of the
danger of parting with some blessing, already possessed, in ex-
change for uncertain improvement ; by the difficulties attendant
on the change itself 3 by the preference for all which is already
ancient, and connected with the dearest associations and most
venerable memories ; by the peculiar sense of stability which has
become a glory of our Church, by the dread of diversity of usage ;
by the still greater dread of innovations, more and more serious,
which may enter in at the open breach ; by the dread, greatest
of all, of changes in doctrine ; and by many apprehensions which
proceed from the very jealousy of a profound affection for the
Church as it is, even to the borders of its robes.

On the other hand, the necessity of changes in the progress of
events, even apart from the merits of each proposed change,
draws some support from the desire to try all means of reaching
the hearts of men ; from dissatisfaction with the imperfect success
of all past efforts; from a kindly wish to make the Church as com-
prehensive as a firm adherence to the truth will allow ; from tender
consciences which ask indulgence ; from reluctance to fasten
absolute and unchangeable perpetuity to that which is but human ;
from the conviction that all which man has devised can be im-
proved ; from comparisons between the usages of our Church
and those of other communions or other ages, which, however
little humiliating on the Avhole, cannot always show an equal pre-
ponderance of advantage on our part, and from the broad prin-

BISHOP BURGESS AND THE MEMORIAL. 127

ciple that Catholicity must imply variety as well as uniformity,
that the Church of Christ cannot always be restrained within any
limits which at any one period may have been expedient and
excellent."

The Bishop had no doubt of the lawfulness of what is called
the division of the services nor its expediency under certain cir-
cumstances. For instance, he says, in the document already
mentioned, " When the morning services are to be extended by
any additions, such as those of an Episcopal Visitation, and Ordi-
nation, or a large Communion, the Morning Prayer may be held
at an earlier hour; or, should this be found inconvenient, it
could be recommended to the congregation to perform that part
of the services, excepting the Declaration of Absolution, at home,
instead of their family devotions. Another mode of division,
where those services must be held on the same day, would be that
of reading the Morning Prayer with the Ante-Communion service
in the morning, the Litany in the afternoon preceded by the
Lord's Prayer, a selection of psalms and the two lessons for the
Sunday evening, with two of the chants and the creed ; and the
Evening Prayer in the evening, with the lessons for the daily cal-
endar; these changes may be safely permitted at the option of the
clergy and their congregations. ' '

With respect to the daily service the Bishop was disposed to
grant a large license. He says, "Since the daily service is not
obligatory, and is seldom held and little attended, it may possibly
be deemed better to declare that those clergymen who perform
it have full liberty to omit such portions as to each of them may
seem most expedient."

The following is an important admission, " The instance of
assemblies, which cannot yet be viewed as congregations of the
Church, assemblies of persons but little acquainted with its usages,
and perhaps accustomed to briefer exercises of prayer and praise,
is one which the compilers and English revisers of the Prayer
Book did not anticipate. It has now become real and frequent;
and the ministers of the Church must often preach the gospel
where the attempt to perform the entire service of an established
worship would be incongruous, unsuccessful, and injurious. ' '

While the Bishop would not favor alterations of the Prayer-
Book, he allowed the necessity of additions. "The Church,"
he says, "has adopted the principle of special supplications at
certain seasons of special need, and has invited its members to
solicit in their hours of sorrow, danger, or deliverance, the
sympathizing prayers of their brethren in the great congregation.
Since such is its rule and practice, much endeared also to the
hearts of the most devout worshippers, no reason can be assigned
why we should thus pray for those who are about to be admitted

128 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

to Holy Orders, and not also pray, as our Lord has expressly
charged us, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest ;
why we should pray for those who cross the sea, and not for
those who cross the continent ; why we should give thanks for a
safe return from sea, and not for rescue from numerous perils by
conflagration, or disasters on railroads, or steamboats, or else-
where ; why we should constantly present our supplications for
the National Legislature, and never for those of the States ; why
war and peace, famine and pestilence, drought and rain should
be remembered before the throne of mercy, in our united prayers,
and not the common interests which may at any time be exposed
in other ways to equal jeopardy."

On the liberty of prayer in our Church, the Bishop thus ex-
presses himself: "The great question whether extemporaneous
prayer, or prayer in the use of words previously prepared by the
individual clergyman, should at all be sanctioned in our public
services, is by no means to be viewed as absolutely settled in the
negative, either by any law of the Church, or by ancient usage,
or by established principle. It was a common practice of the
Church of England for a long period, to utter such prayers in
the pulpit ; and they are found annexed to printed sermons down
to the middle of the last century. The XLVth canon of 1832,
founded upon the XXXI Vth of 1808, which was also founded
on the Xth of 1789, only forbids the use of any other prayers
than those prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer in ' per-
forming the service' ' before all sermons and lectures and on all
other occasions of public worship.' As the language of prohibi-
tion, where no moral wrong is forbidden must not be urged to
the utmost strictness, if a larger construction is equally probable,
this Canon need not be understood as prohibiting other prayers
after sermons or lectures. But should the Convention for other
reasons amend the Canon, all doubt may be removed. Should
it be decided and declared that any minister may in the pulpit
or after sermon, freely offer prayers of his own composition, it is,
perhaps, not very probable that those who are so accustomed to
liturgical worship and so well satisfied with it, will much avail
themselves of the liberty. But since the desire for such liberty
merits no blame; since it is possible that, in some minds, an
objection to the system of the Church might thus be removed;
and since there are arguments of no small weight, arguments
from the nature of things, from the primitive practice, from the
absence of any scriptural injunction, and from the prepossessions
of many Christians of the present age, in favor of the permission ;
to grant it freely to this extent would be a measure on which the
blessing of the Author of peace, the great Hearer of all faithful
prayer, might be humbly expected."

HYMNODY. 129

The prayer of the memorialists in regard to the promotion of
unity among Evangelical Protestants, was heartily seconded by
Bishop Burgess, who was made one of the members of the per-
manent commission of the House of Bishops on Christian Unity.

Very pleasant are the recollections on the part of the writer
of the hours spent by him with the Bishop in the interchange of
sentiments on the foregoing and kindred subjects which came up
in the discussion of the commission. An intimacy then began
which ripened into lasting friendship, which the writer is happy
to believe was mutually cordial. Very easy was it for him to
bear the misrepresentations of the objects and motives of the
memorial when it had the sympathy of one acknowledged to
have no superior in practical wisdom among his right reverend
brethren.

XXII.
HYMNODY.

The material for this Section and much of the language are
furnished by the Rev. M. A. D'W. Howe, D. D., and the Rev.
Francis Wharton, LL. D.

In the spring of 1857, under the auspices of Bishop Alonzo
Potter, a movement was made towards the preparation of a col-
lection of Hymns, with a view to their ultimate adoption by the
General Convention. Bishop Burgess was among the first con-
sulted, and the following reply was sent by him to Mr. Francis
Wharton, who acted as secretary to those by whom the pre-
liminary steps were taken.

Gardiner, March 11, 1S57.
''My Dear Sir: I will cheerfully lend any co-operation in my
power to the very interesting labor which you propose. The
only hesitation which suggests itself for a moment is founded on
the circumstance that a considerable time since, my friend, the
Rev. A. C. Coxe, of Baltimore, told me of a somewhat similar
plan of his own, and desired my aid, which was cheerfully
promised. But I doubt whether he has not relinquished it, or
at least whether he has made any advancement in it; and, as I
shall have occasion to write to him in a day or two, I will ascer-
tain how the matter stands. You may depend on me unless you
very shortly hear from me to the contrary; but it is possible
that his design may have upon me the hold of a prior engagement.
9

130 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Allow me to throw out the idea, for consideration, of a two-
fold volume, a selection, within which nothing should be admitted
but that which is indisputably most perfect in its kind ; and a
collection where all would be found which any intelligent and
pious mind can desire. This, however, is a mere suggestion,
not much matured. I am, with great regard,

Very faithfully yours,

George Burgess."
Francis Wharton, Esq.

In a subsequent letter to Mr. Wharton, the Bishop wrote : —

*' Allow me to throw out one suggestion. It is that the order
of time, the chronology of the authorship, should be an element
to be regarded in any selection, except one which is to be used
in churches. I doubt whether it is not the best mode, after a
general classification of subjects, to place under each large divi-
sion the hymns according to their dates. This is the plan of
Bunsen's great collection of German Hymns; and it is in vari-
ous ways instructive, and tends to prevent the rather hetero-
geneous look of most collections."

Those who united in the proposed Committee (at that time
simple volunteers) were Bishops Alonzo Potter and Burgess,
Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg, Rev. Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Bowman,
Rev. Dr. Howe, Rev. Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Coxe, and Mr.
(afterwards Rev. Dr.) Wharton.

After several conferences, a draft of a collection was submitted
by Dr. Muhlenberg, and referred in turn to Mr. Wharton,
Bishop Burgess, Dr. Howe, and Dr. Coxe, in the order in
which their names here stand. A large portion of the sheets of
this draft with the manuscript notes of the gentlemen above
named, is now in existence, and shows with what minute care
Bishop Burgess' share in the labor was attended. Among the
hymns suggested by him we find the following, indorsed on the
manuscript in his well-known hand: —

" O God, by Whom the seed is given." Heber.

" Let us with a joyful mind." Milton.
" Go forth, my heart, etc." Lyra Germanica. ^

" I sing of God, the mighty source, etc." Smart.

" O for a thousand tongues to sing." Wesley.

" Hark, how the trumpet sounds." Medley.

" How rich thy favors, God of grace." Doddridge.

" Angels, where'er we go, attend." Wesley.

HYMNODY. 131

" Fear not, oh little flock, thy foe." Lyra Germanica.

"Our souls, by love together knit." MiLTON.

" As the sun's enlivening eye." Newton.

" Kindred in Christ, for His dear name." "
" Blest day of God, most calmly bright." Codman's COLLECTION.

" The Lord will come; the world shall shake." Heber.

" How shall I meet thee ? how my heart." Lyra Germanica.

" Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates." " "

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come." Watts.

" O city of the Lord, begin." Logan.

"When marshalled on the nightly plain." White.

" Forth flames the standard of our King." BiSHOP Williams.

" Welcome, thou Victor in the strife." Lyra Germanica.

" What had I been if Thou wert not." " "

These are taken in order from the first few pages of the manu-
script ; and show the large share of the work assumed by him,
and the sources from which he drew.

Several of the hymns already in the Prayer-Book came under
discussion, and changes in them were proposed by some of the
committee, and opposed by others. It was finally agreed to leave
untouched those already in use; and in the summer of 1859, the
collection, called '' Hymns for Church and Home" (excluding the
Prayer-Book hymns, upon which the committee determined to
make no report), was printed for private circulation.

The Preface to this collection was from the pen of Bishop
Burgess. After giving a history of the use of metrical Psalms
and Hymns in the English Church, and showing the gradual
enlargement of the collection until it reached its present number
in the American Book of Common Prayer, he writes, in reference
to the volume offered by the Committee: —

"A collection, therefore, like that which is here offered, cannot
be believed to be quite unsuitable or unacceptable. It takes
the form of a supplement to the collection authorized by the
Convention of 1826; is arranged under the same order; con-
tains none of the same hymns; and, with that collection,
should comprise whatever the general wishes of pious members
of our Church might concur in desiring. It adds forty-three
more of the psalms and hymns of Watts to the thirty-two which
are already used. Forty-two of the most glowing in the volume
are taken from Wesley, in addition to the small number of the
previous fifteen. The eighteen from Doddridge, which are now

132 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

sung, receive here an accession of seventeen. From Newton
we had ten, and here have seventeen more ; from Cowper we
had five, and here have ten besides; from Logan we had ten,
and here have five in addition ; and five are also added to the
former three from Toplady ; and six to the twenty-two from Mrs.
Steele. These, with a few others of Sternhold, Milton, Herbert,
Baxter, Merrick, Cotton, Beddome, Cennick, Hart, Gibbons,
Gisborne, Davies, Barbauld, Hawksworth, Kennett, of each but
one or two, are fruits gathered, not gleaned, from fields which
had been traversed, but scarcely reaped before. The religious
writings of Montgomery were then but partially published ; in
their complete form they have yielded, besides the ten hymns then
adopted, not less than thirty-six ; and in the same manner sixteen,
besides the previous two, have been taken from the series, then
too little known, of Bishop Heber. Four from Milman, and
two more from Grant might also have escaped attention at that
time, though already public. Nine extracted from the sacred
poetry of Keble; nine from that of Lyte; five from that of our
own Croswell; three from Brydges, a glowing writer of the
Romish communion ; four from Kelly ; three from Bonar ; two
from Conder ; two from Edmeston ; two from Bishop Doane ;
three from Baptist Noel; two from Bowring; many bearing
names less known ; and almost all of more than fifty which are
anonymous, could probably never have come under notice if they
even existed thirty years since. Five simple Moravian hymns
are drawn from sources which certainly were not then consulted.
Forty translations of Latin hymns are almost all of recent pub-
lication. Sixteen from the German are equally recent. Thus is
the present collection made up; and such are its relations to that
which forms our established Book of Hymns.

The principles and grounds of selection could be no other
than scriptural truth, devout feeling, ecclesiastical solemnity,
poetic beauty, popular estimation, and adaptation to musical
harmony. It is a necessity, of course, that there should be fre-
quent curtailments. Li the delicate task of change for the sake
of emendation, little has been crttempted beyond a compliance
with the rules of rhyme, rhythm, and grammatical, rhetorical,
and doctrinal correctness. The original text has been followed,
wherever a deviation was not more than justified. But a hymn
for the use of the Church of Christ is not a literary production,
in which the reputation of the author is to be chiefly regarded.

The work of preparing a volume like this must needs be de-
lightful, but also not a little laborious. Many hours of solitary
study, and not a few days of protracted conference, have been
given to results which will only be apparent, if at all, in the
absence of certain faults and blemishes. The greatness of the
end, if it could indeed be reached, was almost beyond exaggera-

HYMNODY. 133

tion ; to furnish harmonious words to the devotion of hearts
united in the communion of the saints. For this it was necessary
that personal preferences should be yielded ; that earthly divisions
should be forgotten ; and that those strains should command the
ear and heart, which, in every part of our land, in every congrega-
tion of our Church, in every order of minds to which the faith
once delivered to the saints is dear, might be the chosen utterance
of humble and intelligent piety.

It cannot be too much to hope and believe, that a collection
so large as this, and made on these principles, must together with
the Prayer-Book collection, embrace almost all the choicest
metrical hymns in our language. Some may have been included,
which the judgment of other compilers would have rejected ; but
it is scarcely possible that many should be absent which would
have been secure of general approval.

The persons who have undertaken the labor involved in the
preparation of this book, and who must be responsible for the
execution, are the Right Rev. Bishop Burgess, of Maine ; the
Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg, of New York; the Rev. Dr. Howe, of
Pennsylvania; the Rev. Dr. Coxe, of Maryland; and Professor
Wharton, of Kenyon College. They have been materially aided
by the counsel and help of the Right Rev. Bishops Potter and ■
Bowman, of Pennsylvania, the Rev. Dr. Andrews, of Virginia,
and the Rev. John F. Young, of New York.

The book is now commended to the blessing of God, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; whose praises it would
utter in every line. ' '

August, 1859.

Copies of the collection thus made were distributed gratuitously
to the members of the General Convention in 1859. This
aroused an interest, and led to the formal appointment of a com-
mittee on "Psalmody and Hymnody," of which the former
volunteer committee were made a part. No definite action ap-
pears to have been taken by this committee, and in 1862, it was
renewed with some variation in its members, Bishop Burgess
continuing the acting chairman, and devoting to it a large por-
tion of his time.

The Committee met at different times at New York, Philadel-
phia, Bristol, R. I., and Brookline, Massachusetts. Of one of
these meetings. Dr. Howe writes: —

"They met at my summer residence in Bristol, where Bishop
Burgess, Dr. Coxe, and Dr. Muhlenberg were my guests for
several days. I never enjoyed any work so much; and it was

134 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

work. Morning and afternoon we were kept steadily at it by
the indefatigable Bishop, who would listen to no proposal for
recreation, by driving or boating. Still the conversations that
arose in the prosecution of our work, and especially the Table
Talk, were most refreshing and instructive. And I say that the
good Bishop was the luminary around which all delighted to
revolve; so full of knowledge, so wise, so gentle, so holy.

In our conversation, there and afterwards, we were more per-
plexed to know what should be done with the psalms, than with
the hymns. Some were for selecting a few that are most imbued
with an evangelical tone, and incorporating them with the hymns.
Others were disposed to retain a separate and pretty full selection,
as we have now. The Bishop was in favor of restoring the whole
Psalter in verse. But no single version known to the Committee
was, as a whole, satisfactory. This led to an informal request
from the other members of the Committee to Bishop Burgess,
that he would make from all sources, a compilation of the best
metrical version of the Psalms that could be had. Thus you
see that in this department of the work he had no associate, and
that his designation to the task was not an official proceeding,
but a spontaneous tribute to his extensive knowledge and fault-
less taste. If anything should convert me to the restoration of
the whole book of Psalms in metre into the lids of the Prayer-
Book, it would be the admirable version which Bishop Burgess
collected from all quarters and laid before the Church."

The preface to "The American Metrical Psalter" was also
from the Bishop's pen. The interesting history which it con-
tains of the Psalmody of the Church cannot be inserted here ;
but room must be made for the opening and closing para-
graphs : —

"Almost as soon as the English Bible and the English Com-
mon Prayer, the Psalter in English metre became also the pos-
session of our fathers. It was a necessity, because our language,
and those other languages which are its nearest kindred, demand
for songs which are to be the voice of the people, the charms,
subordinate though they be, of measure and of rhyme. No
workman at his toil, no maiden in her hour of gladness or of
sadness, no soldier on the march ever thinks of singing any-
thing but verse. The grander music of the skilful choir,
appealing to the highly educated taste of a few, may disregard
modulations so simple ; but the popular ballad and hymns must
keep pace with the common feelings of mankind."

"The only valid defence of such a measure as the disuse of
Psalms in metre is, if it be true, that no satisfactory version is

HYMNODY. 135

found in the English language. It is the design of the present
volume to test this argument. Eighteen versions, the whole of
those which have attained such a place in sacred literature as to
be anywhere cited, or anywhere easily accessible, have been
consulted and compared ; and, of these, fourteen have con-
tributed to this compilation. If it is not the most faultless of
all the entire versions in our language, and if it does not include
whatever is most excellent in each, so far as each is fitted for the
purposes of public worship, it has failed to reach its aim."

" In the attempt to perform such a service to the Church of
Christ, it has been held right to overlook all considerations of
individual authorship. It matters but little to the Church that it
knows not, with very few exceptions, from what pen proceeded
any one of its prayers or collects ; and the name of the versifier of
a psalm is of still less moment. For the same cause, a part of a
psalm, a verse, a line, even a mere phrase, has been taken with-
out hesitation from one writer and interwoven with the work of
another; and any change that seemed an improvement has been
introduced with the consciousness of absolute freedom. If the
result has been success, no other justification is demanded. If
it has been anything but success, the happiness may still be left
for later hands ; but not, it is believed, from the present resources
of our language and literature.

In the mean time, this Psalter in English verse is commended
to the kindly favor of the Church, and to the gracious accept-
ance of Almighty God."

To enable us to appreciate the immense amount of labor in-
volved in this work, we need to multiply the 150 psalms by the
18 versions consulted, and to add to the number many versions
of single psalms; and then to remember that these 2700 psalms
or more were not merely read, but studied and compared, verse
by verse, and line by line.

The last meeting of the Committee was held at Brookline, in
August, 1865. At this meeting the only members present were
Bishop Burgess, Dr. Howe, President Eliot, and Dr. Wharton.
By the members thus assembled a report was inade to the Gene-
ral Convention which met in Philadelphia in 1865, which report
consisted, in the main, of a selection from the ''Hymns for
Church and Home." The collection thus reported was referred
by the House of Deputies to the House of Bishops for action,
and was the basis of the "Additional Hymns" now licensed
for use.

136 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Of the Bishop's feelmgs with regard to this collection, one of
the Committee says: —

"I do not think that he was satisfied with it, but he thought it
was the best that could be prepared, and he seemed to despair of
our being able to obtain, under the constitution of our General
Convention, any very important addition to our present stock."

In reference to the final meeting at Brookline, the Rev. Dr.
Wharton writes: —

"I cannot forget the deep impression produced on us all by
the visit the Bishop paid me, in August, 1865, in order to meet,
for the last time, the Committee. He arrived before breakfast on
a very beautiful morning, having travelled all night; and, as I
met him at the carriage-door, I was startled at the change in his
appearance. He looked much fallen away, and I soon found
that he was troubled by a cough which harassed him day and
night. Yet nothing could induce him to spare himself; and
his debility, if it were such, in no way qualified or damped the
ardor, and, at the same time, business energy with which he took
the lead in our deliberations. Two things were very remarkable
about him at these meetings. One was the exactness and deter-
mination with which he kept to the work, whose direction fell
mainly into his hands as chairman. The other was the seraphic
spirit by which he seemed to be possessed, throwing its halo over
him in the merest detail. Sometimes, in reading or quoting a
hymn, his face seemed to be lit up as with a glory, and, on one
occasion, when repeating the hymn of Keble,

' Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear,'

his voice and face seemed almost transfigured, and remain on
my mind with a vividness that can never be effaced."

xxni.

THE BISHOP IN MAINE.

This letter, chiefly of reminiscences, is supplied by Bishop
Armitage, for some years a Presbyter of the Diocese of Maine.

"The first time I saw Bishop Burgess was at the Commence-
ment of the General Theological Seminary, June 27th, 1850, at
which he addressed the graduating class on ' The Passage into
the Ministry.' The Trustees paid him the unusual honor of

THE BISHOP IN MAINE. 137

printing the address at the time; but it deserves to be one of our
standard tracts, to be read by every candidate for Holy Orders.
The thoroughness with which it brings out that period of clerical
life, and the practical wisdom of its counsels, impressed it upon
my memory as one of the most valuable addresses I ever heard,
and its clear and beautiful style, and the speaker's simple yet
dignified delivery, no doubt assisted in drawing me towards him
as I had been seldom drawn to a stranger before. Meeting
him again but once during my diaconate, the impression was
so deepened, that when in 1854 I was deciding between two in-
vitations to work, it was an influence in favor of St. Mark's
Church, Augusta, that he would be my Bishop, and but six
miles from my parish. From July in that year I enjoyed for
five years the intercourse with him for which I had hoped ; find-
ing in it benefit and pleasure beyond all my expectations. I
fear I cannot tell what I feel of the life-long advantage it was to
me to have his calm, wise, disciplined mind, and character, and
example, before me and with me through those early years of
ministerial work. I do not think I ever left him without being
conscious of an impulse to higher levels, either spiritual or in-
tellectual, more often both.

His Diocese was too poor to relieve him from the charge of a
parish; though I doubt if he would have accepted that relief.
With but sixteen or eighteen parishes, with very few towns
beside where any churchmen could be found, and with very hard
Puritan soil to work upon, he did not feel that he could spend
his time at large as profitably as in the charge of a parish from
which he could go as occasion required. His great delight
seemed to be in his parish. His Diocese might often be dis-
heartening, but he could always find comfort and encourage-
ment in Christ Church, Gardiner, which prospered more and
more under his ministry. Perhaps that hardly expresses my
thought, for no man was less moved by prosperous or adverse
circumstances in the way of duty. But when he had been away
to minister to some little flock for whom he could not find a
shepherd, or when news came that another of his few presbyters,
or perhaps a valuable layman, was about to leave him, or when
anything renewed the conviction, which he manfully accepted,
that nothing great could be accomplished in a Diocese lacking
both men and means, I think he found then a solace, and a help
to be patient in the pastoral work which he loved so well. His
diocesan policy, so to speak, was deliberately chosen, and no
leader of a forlorn hope was ever more heroic than he was
through those seventeen years of unintermitted toil, leading a
little handful of clergy constantly changing, and counting it
growth if a new parish was added every year or two.

1 3 8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP B UR GESS.

The missions of the Diocese were directed by a Board, con-
sisting of all the clergy and one elected layman from each parish,
and meeting usually four times a year. There were thus five
occasions of clerical gathering during the year, and I am sure
that every one of the little band now so widely scattered, recalls
those occasions among the most delightful he has ever known.
A small Diocese has its compensations, and one is, the mutual
intimacy of clergy and parishes. These meetings drew us all
together. Most of the parishes received missionary aid ; so their
condition was stated and fully discussed at the business meeting.
Promising stations, somebody's desire for the services of the
Church here or there, the discovery of another Church family
' in partibus infidelium,' all brought out suggestions, mutual
offers of assistance, clerical labor, exchanges, &c., which made
our brotherhood far more than it can be in most dioceses. The
Bishop kept a list of scattered Church families, and few of them
passed a year, I am sure, without some proof of his remembrance,
a letter, a book, some papers or tracts, if not a visit from him-
self or a clergyman. Our meetings were no more free from
differences of opinion than others, but they could not damage the
esprit du corps, while Bishop Burgess was in the chair. His way
was to allow the widest freedom of debate, and at last, when the
right moment came, to give a calm judicious summing up of the
whole matter, pointing out the right and the wrong of each side,
or of each speaker, under which whatever feeling had arisen
would die away, and the action would at least be deliberate. He
would hardly have been called a great parliamentarian, or an
admirable presiding officer of a popular assembly ; but in a
Church gathering where he felt that he had the right to assume,
and appeal to. Christian hearts, he was a model of noble and
dignified tact and courtesy. His exact business habits were im-
pressed on the Diocese. I may mention, in proof of this, that
having been Secretary of several conventions, I was able to return
from them with the entire copy of the Journal ready for the
printer, every report and document having been punctually
handed in. The suffering secretaries of most of our conventions
will appreciate this fact, if others do not.

The Bishop's intellectual influence was shown in the public
services in connection with these meetings. Often there was a
course of sermons, by different preachers, always one or two
were prepared for the occasion, each man doing his best, for
that was the tone given to all by the leader. I recall a course
on the Epistles to the Seven Churches, one on the resurrection in
its different aspects, one on missions, which drew out Dr. Ballard's
admirable sketch of the early history of the Church in Maine,
all worthy of note for the care and study spent upon them, and

THE BISHOP IN MAINE. I39

their great interest both to preachers and hearers. The Bishop
himself nearly always preached, and then his sermon, as on all
special occasions, though delivered in a little country church to
a mere handful, was strong, full, beautiful, worthy of any pulpit
in the land. At the missionary meetings, when extempore ad-
dresses were expected, we always felt that the Bishop was our
strength. We did not like to have him lead ; for often the
waiting speakers would see one thought after another drawn from
their store, until sometimes they could only regain them with the
preface, 'as the Bishop has remarked,' ' as you have just heard
the Bishop say.' But his power as the last speaker was to me a
study. We never had impoverished him. And he had such a
happy art of summing up all that had been said, and supple-
menting it ; of drawing out some hint of the occasion, or of the
time of the year, which had been overlooked ; of further explain-
ing or illustrating a thought which some self-accusing listener was
now conscious that he had stated imperfectly or unguardedly ; and
then of lifting all, subject, occasion, speakers, hearers up into
the light of the blessed Gospel we had met to advance, that,
however the meeting had seemed before, we felt our hearts
warmed for our work as we parted. I believe that these gather-
ings were always pleasant to him. He never failed to attend
them, nor did the clergy, when they could possibly leave home.
Aside from the love and reverence they bore him, the profit of
his companionship and the opportunity of his counsel made his
presence the strongest attraction. I recall long stage rides, and
two or three days on steamboats, on the way to and from these
meetings in his company, as no less delightful than the meetings
themselves. Once, after a Convention in Portland, the clergy,
with only two exceptions, prolonged their holiday and went on a
fishing excursion down the beautiful bay. They were gone until
almost dark, and I remember the Bishop's expression of relief on
our return, ' I have been anxious all day at having all the clergy
of the Diocese in one little boat.' He had strong personal
attachment to them all, apparently, the heartiest sympathy in
their joys and sorrows, and the charity always to find out the
good in each man, and insist upon it as it were to himself and
to others.

His visits to our parishes were not very long, but frequent as
convenient. His performance of the Episcopal offices was solemn
and impressive ; his sermons and addresses fresh, and prepared
for the occasion. Even his addresses to the confirmed had al-
ways that tone, although it would be modified most happily by
the nature of the class. He was no musician, and had no delicate
appreciation of music, a lack which every Bishop has reason to
envy now and then, and I think that he offered his praises quite

140 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

as much in reading the metrical psahn, and the hymn, which he
did at length, as in the singing which followed it. The announce-
ment of his coming would generally fill any church in the Dio-
cese, indeed any building in the State even where there was no
parish ; and no one ever went away without the impression that
he was indeed ' a man of God. ' I believe that as the charac-
ter of Bishop Griswold has lingered in New England beyond his
personal work, and is still valuable to the Church ; so it will be
found that the life and character of the first Bishop of Maine is a
precious inheritance to the Diocese in whose behalf he was so
willing ' to spend and be spent.'*

I said that his visits to our parishes were frequent. His own
Church was never left unsupplied. In rare cases he would leave
it to lay reading ; but usually, favored, as he was for a time, with
a clergyman resident in Gardiner, and in the summer with cleri-
cal visitors, he provided a substitute in the chancel and went
his way. The nearest parishes he visited by exchange, except
on occasions of confirmation. We used to have few idle Sundays.
If some clerical brother had found his way to us and we were
rejoicing in the hope of ' being preached to' on the Sunday, if
our own conscience did not prick us to the offer, the Bishop's
request was sure to come, ' as Mr. So and So is with you, I should
be glad to have you take my place, that I may go to such a par-
ish or town,' as the case might be. And then some poor brother,
struggling at a hard mission, or some little flock without a shep-
herd, or some place which knew nothing of the Church, would
have the benefit or comfort of a Sunday from him, at any cost
to himself. It is sad now to think of his unresting industry. He
never took a vacation, never had a quiet Sunday, until his health
began to fail. At home, he had two full services, his Sunday
school, and his evening Bible class ; sometimes for weeks in
succession, contriving to officiate at Hallowell, four miles off,
after his afternoon service ; on all other days he studied, and wrote
always two sermons a week when at home ; he bore the pastoral
charge of the largest parish in the town, and visited constantly,
not only its people, but the sick and the dying, and the suffering
who, even if they loved not the Church, loved him. When he
left home, it was always for work. A visit, without some purpose

* The use of that phrase reminds me how literally he followed the Apostle's
example, spending not only his time and labor and thought, but also his sub-
stance for his Diocese. He never received from it more than his travelling
expenses, I suppose ; but whenever the Treasurer's Report was presented to
the Convention by our other chief benefactor, the venerable Robert H. Gardiner,
those who put together the Bishop's various donations, found that he had given
perhaps two or three times as much as he had received. And that report in-
cluded only a certain class of his gifts, which had to appear, not always with
his own name, for the sake of the Treasurer's accounts.

THE BISHOP IN MAINE. 141

of duty, even to relatives and friends, marked an era for him for
months. And his incessant brain work running through all this ;
his large correspondence, his unbroken sermon writing, his
frequent special discourses and addresses, his labors for the press,
his continued acquisition of information and learning, who can
wonder that even his iron constitution gave way at last ? I fear
he must be added to the list of eminent men whose days were
shortened by refusing to their bodies the relaxation, and rest, and
care which they need to be good servants to the mind.

I have written of Bishop Burgess' public appearances. I feel,
however, that the love and reverence and gratitude which I shall
always cherish for him, were quite as much due to the private
intercourse which our neighborhood afforded me. It was a keen
delight to sit down with him in his study ; he never permitted it
to seem to interrupt him, and after the business in hand was
disposed of, to get him to discuss a subject, character, period,
event, whatever it might be, with the full freedom of conversation.
If it were a question of present interest in the Church, a policy,
or a course of action, in a few moments you would have it cleared
from all the entanglements of local and accidental circumstances,
and be looking at the principles involved, with the help of former
precedents perhaps, in a broad, comprehensive, tolerant way,
which was most elevating. If it were a biographical or historical
subject, you would be struck with the extent and remarkable
accuracy of his information. If it were a matter of controversy,
theological, moral, political, you would find that he had studied
both sides, had made up his opinion, and could give you his
reasons. If it were a matter of literature, specially of our own lan-
guage, you would be fortunate in touching his favorite topic. He
had been an extensive, I might almost say, universal reader, and
accustomed to committing much to memory, especially poetry ;
and whether he repeated or read, it was a delight to feel his en-
thusiasm as he went on. He was always so kind and forbearing,
so patient to his inferiors in mind and acquirement, so gene-
rously ready to meet them at their own point, that his learning,
like his personal influence, was a continual benefit to all his clergy,
not a reservoir guarded for his own use, but a fountain to which
all were welcome who chose to come.

It is impossible to give an idea of the Bishop's enjoyment of
wit and humor, which one would hardly have suspected in a
casual acquaintance with him. It was a great and constant
charm of his conversation and his home life. He had a keen
sense of the ridiculous wherever it appeared ; but his taste and
his clerical dignity alike restrained his telling of anecdotes ex-
cept in illustration of the matter in hand. His mind was too
well stored to need any such conversational refuge ; and he was

142 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

not a talker who disliked to listen. His love of fun therefore
showed itself, not in any steady flow of humorous reminiscence
or expression, but in the continual ripple on the stream of con-
versation. It was a graceful ornament of speech and life,
sparkling here and there wherever it came in place, always
refined and intellectual, never even verging upon the coarse or
the merely ludicrous. I find it impossible to record instances
for others, but to this day a subject or a character now and then
catches a sudden glow as my memory recalls dear Bishop Bur-
gess speaking of it with one of his peculiar smiles, accompa-
nied with a nervous rubbing of his hands together, which
expressed a great deal. The epithet ' genial' might be denied
him by one who saw him elsewhere ; but in his own home, or
where he felt equally at home, his claim to it was undisputed.

I feel the unworthiness of this sketch, and trust that it is to
be supplemented by others who will do better justice to the re-
markable character which, I fear, many still fail to appreciate.
I thank God that I knew him intimately, and pray that I may
never forget his example. Running through all his life as I saw
it, never obtrusive but always apparent, was the devout, devoted,
Christian spirit, which touched everything he said and did with
the light of consecration to the Master. You could not be with
him long without feeling that his communion with the Lord was
constant, that he knew ' the peace of God which passeth under-
standing,' that he lived for Christ, and in Christ, to do the
work which He laid upon him. That complete self-consecra-
tion was the secret of his learning, his influence, his wisdom,
in short, of all that made him what he was. Not his Diocese
alone, but the whole Church was called to mourn one of her
foremost men, when the news came that George Burgess had
passed from his work to his reward."

XXIV.

DIOCESAN SEMINARIES.

It was believed by some of the clergy of Maine, that if a
Theological Seminary could be founded within the Diocese, it
would not only make it easier to retain those candidates who
canonically belonged to it, but would be the means of drawing
others within its limits. Several attempts were made to enlist
the Bishop in such an enterprise, but he long objected. Per-

DIO CESAN SEMINA RIES. 1 43

haps his reasons cannot be more easily stated than through
extracts from letters, written years before, and having reference
to other like enterprises.

Hartford, February 5th, 1836, he wrote: ''You ask my opin-
ion respecting the proposed theological seminary in Massachu-
setts. I must confess that it appears to me quite inexpedient to
undertake such an enterprise, because the Church is not yet
extensive enough to need it; because it is not best that all our
clergy should be educated at seminaries ; because the seminary
at New York offers advantages superior by far to any which a
new one can possess ; because it is no inconvenience for young
men from the East to go to New York ; because the argument
that young men leave the Eastern Diocese is without weight,
since they will always go where they are most needed and called
for; because the establishment of a seminary would tend to
cherish a diocesan feeling, which is not at all to be wished ;
because it would take several able clergymen from parishes
which cannot spare them to become professors ; because it would
cost a great sum, which is far, far more needed for missionary
objects; and because I think it very wrong to waste the bounty
of the Christian community. It seems to me that we in Con-
necticut can look on with impartiality ; and I think that my view
is that of many others in this Diocese."

And again, a month later, on the same subject, he added : —

March 5, 1836. "In reply to my objections to the Massa-
chusetts Theological Seminary, you suggest that it may be use-
ful in drawing the attention of young men to the ministry. This
suggestion would have its force to my mind, in relation to Ohio,
or Kentucky, or Illinois; but here, if the vicinity of a seminary
is to be needed for this purpose, I should fear the absence of
other, better, and stronger motives. If the wants of the world,
and the perpetual call for laborers, are not enough, yet let us
not be burdened with men who come into the ministry only be-
cause the Seminary is so convenient. But, perhaps, I misunder-
stood the force of the argument, which I would not, by any
means, decide."

In a letter dated March 24, 1849, ^^^ wrote: —

" For Bishop Doane, I am very much grieved. But as to the
public effect, it may be well that it should be felt that there is a
limit to Episcopal exertions and responsibilities. A career like
his seemed almost to suppose the reverse. To preside, to counsel,
to animate, to suggest, to oversee ; all these, apart from the strictly

144 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

spiritual offices which a Bishop alone can discharge, are doubt-
less his province. But to originate everything, to be the soul of
everything ; to have a parish, a diocese, a school for girls, a
school for boys, a college, and perhaps a seminary all his own,
and under his daily eye; and last of all, to furnish the funds, or
if not, to be responsible for them in some way ; this is what none
but Bishop Doane could do so fully, and what it is better that
none else should undertake. ' '

In another letter, dated February 27, 1850, is found this
passage : —

"I grieve to hear of the misfortunes of Bishop , in

which, too, as I understand, Dr. is, to a considerable ex-
tent, involved. Of the purity of the Bishop's designs, nay, of
their magnanimity, I have not a moment's question. But I
cannot but remember how, at the last General Convention,
when the subject of an African Bishop was mentioned in the
Committee on Foreign Missions, and I expressed some hesita-
tion, not as to sending any one who might be ready to offer
himself, but as to summoning any one who might, perhaps, re-
gard the summons as a divine call, and lay down a valuable life

as the sacrifice. Bishop and Bishop quite rejected

any such consideration, and treated it as a simple matter of faith,
and thought that the sacrifice would but strengthen and carry
forward the cause. I cannot help thinking that the same refusal
to take into view evident consequences and reasonable proba-
bilities, and the determination rather to venture all under high
and generous impulses, with a mistaken application of the name
of faith, may have had its influence on their large but unfortu-
nate enterprises."

At the Convention which met at Augusta in 1864, the subject
of a Theological Seminary in Maine was introduced, and so strong
an influence was brought to bear upon him, that he yielded a
qualified assent. He had always been ready to give his own
time to the instruction of such candidates for orders as sought
his aid and preferred a private course. He now consented to a
somewhat more elaborate arrangement. Apartments were pro-
cured for a few students in the house next to his own in Gardiner;
a daily course of instruction was arranged to be divided between
himself and the Rev. Frederic Gardiner, at that time residing in
the town, and lectures were to be given in turn by all the clergy
who were sufficiently near to be included in the plan. Yet he

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. 145

positively refused to allow the name Seminary to be used, or to
undertake more than, as he said, "could be dropped at any
moment, without any sense of failure."

The result showed his wisdom. Four young men availed
themselves of the opportunity thus offered, three of whom were
ordained, at the same time, in July, 1865. Then the removal
of Mr. Gardiner from the Diocese, and the failure of the Bishop's
health forbade the continuance of this plan of instruction, and it
was quietly "dropped, without any sense of failure."

XXV.

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST.

In portraying Bishop Burgess as a Parish Priest, it will be well
to consider him first in his public and then in his more private
ministrations. All will bear witness that in his public services
he was unwearied, never sparing himself. Both in Hartford
and in Gardiner he added to the regular morning and evening
services of the Lord's day many other labors. He always
spent a portion of time in the Sunday School, catechizing and
otherwise instructing the children; and, if the teacher of an
advanced class was absent, and difficulty was found in supplying
the vacancy, he did not hesitate to take that duty on himself.
In Hartford, he had frequent Sunday evening services, at one
time preaching a third sermon in the church on the first Sunday
of the month; at another, alternately with the Rector of St.
John's Church, and at another, devoting the evening to a Bible
class for young men, or an hour in the morning to a Bible
class for young women. While residing in Hartford the Wed-
nesday evening services in the chapel were never omitted at
any season of the year or in any weather; but in Gardiner he
foui)d it necessary to omit them in stormy weather, for, if he
took no thought for himself, he had too much consideration for
his people to urge them to encounter the dangers of a walk, or of
a ride on a dark night through unlighted streets or over muddy
roads. To the regular services in his own church, he added

10

146

MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

much missionary labor both in Connecticut and in Maine, at
different times, having regularly a service in some neighbor-
ing town, and always so arranged it that it did not interfere
with what he thought due to those more directly under his charge.
He has been known to hold his two services in Gardiner at the
usual hour, then to drive four miles to Hallowell, where he held
a third service and preached, and to return with the intention of
having a fourth service in his own church. It was not strange
if, by seven o'clock, he was not merely hoarse, but speechless,
and unable to officiate for the fourth time.

During the whole of his residence in Gardiner, until his
health failed, it was his practice to have, besides those of the
morning and afternoon, a third service on Sunday evening.
Occasionally this was in the church, when he preached a third
sermon, but usually it was a familiar service in the chapel, when,
after a few collects, the reading of a chapter, and the singing of
a hymn, he sat down, with the Bible on. a table before him, and
either explained some portion of the Scripture, or instructed his
people in the various duties of life. He said that in such a
familiar lecture he could say many things which might fall a
little below the dignity of a sermon.

The subjects of these lectures were always announced in the
afternoon ; and often the chapel was crowded with an interested
congregation. Many young men were attracted to these ser-
vices, and these, with strangers residing for a brief season in
Gardiner, and some who never joined his congregation at other
times, have expressed their gratitude for the instruction they
there received.

Often the subjects of these lectures were suggested by some
event of recent occurrence, of local or more public interest; at
other times he instructed his hearers in the every-day duties of
life. A list of some of these subjects has been preserved : —

Religion in the concerns of business.
Religious reading.
Outward duties and observances of
religion.

Duties of sickness.
Piety in young men.
Ministry of angels.

Preparation for a profession of reli-
gion.

The picture of a Christian parish.

Spiritual destitution around us.

History of the Prayer Book.

Early death — many young people
having recently died.

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST.

147

The religion of the patriarchs.

The rehgion of the Jews between
Moses and David.

The religion of the Jews between
David and the captivity.

The period between the Babylonish
captivity and the incarnation.

Religion in the time of our Saviour's
life on earth.

The times of the Apostles.

The history of the Church in the first
century.

Progress of Christianity down to
Constantine.

The Reformation.

Two lectures on the English Refor-
mation.

Dec. 30. Close of the year and
commencement of the half century.

Practical way of salvation.

Experimental religion.

Taking up the cross.

Membership in the Christian Church.

Progress in piety.

Education of l)oys and responsibili-
ties of fathers.

Conversation.

Example.

Difficulties of Scripture.

Missions abroad and at home.

The General Convention and its
work.

Career of St. Paul, as exemjDlifying
usefulness and happiness.

The state of departed saints.

Regularity in religion.

The ministry.

Propagation of the Gospel among
the heathen.

Hymns.

Need of salvation.

The provision for our salvation.

Means of becoming partakers of sal-
vation.

To men.

Confirmation.

The unity of the human race.

Sacred music.

On some occasions he was requested to repeat his lectures in
the church, as when he had lectured on Intemperance and Pro-
fane Swearing. These he enlarged into regular sermons, and
delivered them to crowded congregations. The variety of sub-
jects here named will show how, out of the well-filled store-
house of his mind, he brought forth things new and old, and
with what nourishing food he fed his flock.

At one time he explained the Book of the Revelation; at
another, the Epistle to the Hebrews. He has varied these eve-
ning services by substituting for a time Bible Classes, either for
gentlemen alone or for both sexes ; but as soon as he saw that
the interest was abating he returned to his familiar lectures. He
used to say that the people liked variety, that a new plan attracted
new attention, and he would not omit anything which might
prove a means of salvation to some who had hitherto been
unmoved. It was observed that when his lectures were upon a
particular book in the Scriptures, he took a whole chapter each
evening, seizing on the principal points, without going unneces-
sarily into detail. When it was suggested that by taking a few
verses at a time he could lengthen the course and spare himself

148 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

the necessity of soon thinking of another, he replied that he did
not wish to risk making it tedious to his hearers.

One incident is remembered which shows his watchful care to
provide his people with the food needed at the time. While
Rector of Christ Church, Hartford, there was reported to him a
'conversation, which had been overheard, in which one of his
parishioners told another that " our Church was founded by old
King Henry, that he was the beginning of our Church." The
next Sunday he gave notice that on Wednesday he would com-
mence a course of lectures on Church History. After that, it
certainly was not his fault if any member of his parish thought
that our Church dated no further back than Henry the Eighth.

To what may be considered his regular services, he added
many others. Without making it a rule to open the church on
all saints' -days, he yet took care that they were not forgotten,
and generally made them occasions for special and appropriate
instruction. The greater festivals and fasts were always ob-
served with full services, and when the minor holydays, for which
services were appointed, occurred, he would either arrange his
weekly lectures so that they might be held on the evenings of
those days, or he would appoint extra services in the church,
giving parents an opportunity to bring their children for baptism.

On this topic it may be said that he always preferred to bap-
tize in the midst of the service, in the presence of the full Sunday
congregation, but found himself sometimes obliged to offer these
more private opportunities.

The numerous funerals which he attended added largely to
his labors. It was not uncommon for him to be asked to attend
funerals on Sunday at noon, often making it necessary for him
to drive from the church as soon as the morning service closed,
to ride several miles and to return just in time for the afternoon
service. At those seasons when the roads were in a state which
made riding in some places dangerous, the congregation have
awaited his return patiently a full hour beyond the appointed
time. Often the labor was increased by a sermon being added
to the funeral services, for, though it was not his practice to
make addresses at such times, he would not refuse a word of
exhortation when he found it expected by a rural population,

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. 149

SO scattered that they could seldom meet for worship or religious
instruction.

Besides those in his own parish, he attended many funerals
when neither the deceased nor his kindred were connected with
the congregation.

January i6th, 1864, he writes: " No less than eleven commu-
nicants have died since the Convention, the middle of July, and
I have attended twenty-six funerals. God grant that the places
of the departed may be filled in His Church, and that the living
may lay it to heart."

In another letter, after mentioning several sudden deaths
which occurred in his parish, he wrote: "Let us be ready
through the merits of our blessed and only Saviour. I dare not
build any hope upon the world ; but oh, how happy do I feel
myself that my calling is to proclaim the glad tidings of eternal
life ! The ministry is dearer and dearer to my soul ; and yet,
at such admonitions, its solemn responsibility presses upon me
with increasing weight."

As the years passed away he seemed to feel more and more
strongly the necessity of seizing every occasion for instructing
his people and aiding them in their devotions. And yet he
never proposed to have a daily service. While he thought that
in large cities, one or two churches should be open for daily
prayer, to meet the wants of the many strangers stopping for a
brief season, and of isolated individuals in boarding houses, who
could gather no family around the domestic altar, he resisted
every attempt to make a daily service obligatory on every par-
ish minister. An example of this may be seen in the following
article, which he wrote for the Chronicle, then the Church paper
for Connecticut: —

"Mr. Editor: If the article on the subject of daily service in
the last Chronicle had merely related to the beauty or fitness of
daily morning and evening prayer in the church, I should not
have thought a reply necessary. If it had only urged that a clergy-
man ought to observe the daily service, I think that I should
still have been silent. But when the editor of a highly respect-
able publication, ' the Bishop and Standing Committee being a
committee of advice and supervision,' gravely declares that 'if
on any given day in a week, the rector of a parish knows that

150 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

he can have a congregation to jom in the prayers of the Church,
and he is able to attend and perform service, it is his duty to do
so,' because 'to refuse to open church and chapel and celebrate
divine service, under such circumstances, would be, in his judg-
ment, a violation of the ordination vow, and a breach of the
canons of the Church, I must respectfully protest against this
mode of placing a construction on canons, and especially on
the very solemn vows of ordination.

To which of the canons, to which of the promises at our ordi-
nation, can reference be made for an obligation so sacred? It is
well known that there is, in the English Book of Common
Prayer, a direction from which it might be deduced, but that
direction has been, with evident design, omitted in ours as inap-
plicable to the present state of society, and as, in point of
fact, obsolete in England. The only possible reason which
I can imagine to have been found in the Prayer Book, is the use
of the terms 'Daily Morning and Evening Prayer.' Is it meant,
then, that because a form of Daily Service is provided, there
must always be a daily service? Why would it not be as fair a
conclusion, that, because a form of ' Solemnization of Matri-
mony' is provided, every member of the Church must be
married ?

For, let me add, the causes for which an 'implied permis-
sion of the Church to omit the Daily Service prescribed by
canon' is supposed, are not such as will be admitted by a con-
scientious clergyman, to dispense with the fulfilment of his ' ordi-
nation vows.' Not a single clergyman in health will probably
hold himself to be under an inability to spend an hour or two in
the church every day, or to read the service when he is there.
Most of our parishes could furnish a 'congregation,' for where
two or three are gathered together, that name is not misapplied, if
the occasion be really fixed by a regulation of the Church. It
is one thing to say, that, under such circumstances, it would be
inexpedient to do what we are free to do or not to do, at our
discretion. It is quite another thing to say that we are under a
vow to do it, and that we are not excused from performing our
vow.

Suffer me then to ask, Mr. Editor, whether, having in view
some particular case, I know not what, you have not here stated
a rule which cannot be maintained ; and which may have the
effect to represent the clergy as taking their ordination vows
very loosely upon them. I am sure that the editor of the
Chronicle is one of the last men to wish to make constructions
of daily duty from rules, actually and expressly abrogated, and
fasten them to vows which surely have received, in our Church,
no such interpretation."

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. 151

On going to Gardiner, he found the service poorly attended ;
and, at times, a response so feeble that it was scarcely audible.
On one occasion, when the Senior Warden and his family were^
absent, but two voices were distinctly heard. When the Bishop
reached the Psalter, he paused and expressed his regret, that the
absence of a few individuals from the church should be felt in
that, way, and before proceeding, gave an earnest exhortation,
which brought forth a full and hearty response. The idea had
taken possession of many minds, that it was hypocrisy for any
but decidedly religious persons to kneel or respond, or in any
way join in the service. Against this, the Bishop earnestly con-
tended, often renewing the theme, giving line upon line, and in
the Sunday-school, adding the weight of his authority. Long
years before he was taken from his congregation, he had the
happiness of seeing that very few refrained from at least assum-
ing a posture of devotion; and in the Sunday-school, no child
would think of remaining without kneeling during the prayers.

How careful he was to do his own work, without seeking need-
less assistance, is shown by the following incident: During a
walk to visit the sick, on a severe winter's day, he fell on the
ice and sprained his arm. For several weeks he wore his arm
in a sling, and was unable, without assistance, to put on his sur-
plice, though he might easily have excused himself from the
performance of public services, perhaps too from attendance
upon them, he did neither, but read the service and did his own
preaching through the whole, although there were several clergy-
men in Trinity College, who would at any time gladly have
rendered him any assistance.

After his removal to Gardiner, when the duties of a Bishop
were added to those of a parish priest, it might have been antici-
pated that some change would have been seen in his habits; not
that anything would be neglected, but that his own time would
be given to the general care of the Diocese, and the Parish com-
mitted mainly to an assistant minister. But he looked upon his
pastoral intercourse with his people as a rest and refreshment,
and was unwilling to relinquish it to another.

His visitations were made, when possible, between the Sun-
days, and when obliged to be absent on the Lord's Day from

152 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

his own Church, he spared neither trouble nor expense to pro-
vide a substitute. On one occasion, when he was in New York,
in July, attending to Church business, he found that the meetings
would continue into the next week, and having made no provision
for the Sunday services, he was so unwilling to leave his people
to lay reading, that he returned home on Saturday, reaching Gar-
diner late at night, and left by the earliest train on Monday to
return to New York. It was such exertions as this which made
his parish so anxious to supply him with an assistant; but they
were soon convinced that such an arrangement would not lighten
his labors. He would only have been more from home, supply-
ing vacancies in the Diocese, and working quite as hard. He
might have resigned the parish entirely, but there were many
reasons against such a measure. The Diocese was too poor to
offer a salary more than sufficient to cover his travelling expenses,
and at that time, his support was derived almost entirely from
his salary as a parish minister. The number of parishes was too
small to employ him many Sundays in the year, for he said no
faithful parish minister would wish to relinquish many of his own
services even to his Bishop, and he wished for no idle Sundays
for himself. It may be said that he might have become the
chief missionary in the Diocese ; but he knew that there was a
limit to even such labor. As long as a Bishop was a novelty, he
could collect good congregations almost anywhere; but they
were largely composed of those who came from curiosity, and
had no intention of withdrawing from their connection with their
own denominations; and even if a few preferred the Church,
they were not often ready to assume the burden and responsi-
bility of a new organization. Added to these objections, there
was another which had great weight with him. He feared that
if he ceased to be a pastor, he would soon cease to sympathize
as he ought with the laborious pastor, who looked to him for
advice.

The difficulty which he found in reaching the men of his
parish was a great trial to him. Year after year they attended
the public services and seemed to listen with interest to his ex-
hortations, but they did not come to Confirmation and the Lord's
Table. He felt the necessity of making more private and direct

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. 153

appeals to their consciences, but it was difificult to find the oppor-
tunity; if he called at their homes, he was told that they were
at their places of business; if he went to their offices or stores,
he found them surrounded by other business men, and saw that
it was no time for private conversation. If he waited until they
were laid on beds of sickness, he knew the danger that their minds
would then be too much enfeebled by illness to receive instruc-
tion. In this difficulty he prepared the following letter, and sent
it to every male member of his parish who was not already a
Communicant : —

• Gardiner, January i, 1862.

"My Dear Sir: I must beg you to excuse me for adopting
this mode of address. Opportunities of private and serious con-
versation with men engaged in business are not numerous; and
such conversation is somewhat too constrained to yield the desired
profit. I wish to do in the present form a duty, in part, which
is always pressing upon my conscience, and which, in many in-
stances, I find it difficult to discharge otherwise.

You have never publicly declared your faith in Christ, and
your solemn purpose to live in obedience to His commandments.
I have no reason to suppose that you question the truth of the
Gospel. You are, I presume, either satisfying yourself with
some view of it which allows you to hope for safety without a
religious life, or at least without a religious profession ; or, more
probably, your attention is not given to the subject with any
prolonged seriousness.

In the mean time, your years and mine are wearing away. The
space within which our work on earth must be done, is now a
year nearer to its close ; and the years are few. For the greatest
work of life, the time is now.

All your experience admonishes you to leave nothing unneces-
sarily exposed to danger in the event of your speedy decease.
You make the best provision in your power for the settlement of
your affairs, and for the welfare of your family, whenever you
shall be removed; and as you advance in life, the necessity for
this is felt to be the more urgent. Have you made such pro-
vision for your highest interest? Or, is there a great work to be
done within you, before you can expect to die ' in the confidence
of a certain faith, and in the comfort of a reasonable, religious,
and holy hope?'

You need, my dear friend, to be not only almost, but altogether
a Christian, in belief, spirit, and life. In that relation in which
I stand towards you, let me beseech you to give your earnest

154 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

attention to the following plain statements, resisting every tempta-
tion to neglect or postpone the subject.

You are called by the Gospel to repentance, faith, and every
duty of religion.

You have no claim on the promises of our Saviour, unless you
believe in Him, and show your faith by endeavoring to keep His
commandments.

You must confess Christ before men, if you hope that He will
confess you hereafter.

You must be judged according to the deeds done in this life.

If there be any truth in the Gospel, any necessity of serving
God, any cause to love the Lord Jesus Christ, any obligation to
diligence in working out your salvation, any value in religious
example, activity, and faithftilness, you have already delayed
this great business too long.

God knows the secret habits of your mind ; and I would gladly
hope that you look up to Him with reverence and godly fear.
But suffer me to plead with you, in His name, and for the sake
of your own soul, and with all the earnestness which belongs to
my sacred office, that you will not let this year begin without
forming, nor pass without carrying into effect, each of the follow-
ing purposes: —

1. That you will daily give some time to private prayer.

2. That you will not be absent, without necessity, from public
worship.

3. That you will, if at the head of a family, hold family prayer.

4. That you will seriously examine your heart and life, as if
you were soon to give up your account ; and ask for true repent-
ance.

5. That you will resolutely turn from every practice which is
condemned by God and your conscience.

6. That you will in secret, trusting in the merits of our Re-
deemer and depending on the grace of the Holy Spirit, offer
yourself to the service of God for the rest of your days.

7. That, if not yet baptized, you will receive baptism.

8. That you will come to the Lord's Supper.

9. That you will be ready to do good, in all ways which Provi-
dence shall open.

10. That you will steadfastly devote some fit portion of your
gains or income to works of mercy, charity, and religion.

11. That you will endeavor to bring others to the same blessed
'service, which is perfect freedom.'

It will give me the utmost satisfaction to converse with you on
any portion of these subjects on which you may feel doubt, or
desire information or counsel.

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. 155

And may God bless this effort which I have now made, as His
servant and pastor ! Believe me always

Affectionately yours,

George Burgess."

Turning now from the public ministrations of the Bishop to
those of a more private character, we must allow his former
parishioners, both in Hartford and Gardiner, to give their testi-
mony. Many of these bear witness to his exceeding gentleness
and forbearance in dealing with the wayward; to his deep
sympathy with them in their weaknesses and griefs; and to the
encouraging words with which he strengthened them when they
faltered and, perhaps, fell, in their Christian course. "I wish,"
said one, "that I could tell you all that he did for me, but I
cannot without betraying my own folly and waywardness."

Another, in Hartford, writes: —

"The first time I heard Mr. Burgess preach was before he
was made our Rector, and, although I cannot now recall the
subject, I remember that it made a very deep impression on me
at the time, as it did upon many others. He came to visit us
for the first time when we were in great sorrow over the loss of
our only child. In his sweet and touching manner, he repeated
to us words of comfort from Holy Writ, and when he afterwards
committed her body to the grave, he told me that it was the first
time he ever read the Burial Service. * * * *

" He gave every one the impression of a man of God. So en-
tirely devoted was he to his office, visiting the sick and the afflicted,
always ready, in season and out of season, but in these duties,
never neglecting his preparation for the pulpit. He preached
more constantly than any clergyman I ever knew, not even giv-
ing himself that time for relaxation, which is now deemed so
necessary. He must have been most systematic in his habits,
for with all these labors, he never seemed to be in a hurry.
This seemed to me one of his marked characteristics. What-
ever unexpected duty was to be performed, he was always ready,
and had time to do it; nothing ever seemed to be neglected or
forgotten. * * * *

"He once told me that personal conversation on religious
subjects, had been one of the most difficult duties for him to
perform, and in no one, had he so failed. In preparing a class
for confirmation, he once spoke of the difficulty of reaching the
real feelings of those with whom he conversed, and the danger
of being deceived by them, but he said, ' I try to think of my

156 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Saviour having to do with all kinds of men, and the patience
with which He met them.' "

) > )

Another, after using the expression, "that almost faultless
character, "writes : —

"Could all my intercourse with that dear friend be told, it would
indeed throw light on his large heart, and show with what rare
discretion and charity he guided a wayward spirit."

One expresses her love in a letter from which the following
extracts are made : —

"My acquaintance with Mr. Burgess was made during his
rectorship of Christ Church, Hartford, and well do I remember
the solemn service which inducted him into that sacred office.
His very youthful appearance at that time, together with a look
of such rapt devotion as almost made his face to shine, rendered
it a scene of very touching interest. I had but slight per-
sonal acquaintance with Mr. Burgess until a great sorrow fell
upon my household, and then he came with his great, kind heart
to counsel, to pity, and to relieve. He found many ways of as-
sisting me in my perplexities and more than once left in my hand
a substantial evidence of his interest in our unfortunate family,
and later, during a very severe illness of my two little daughters,
neither now among the living, he showed the kindness of a brother.
Once, I remember, he found me very weary with long watching ;
and he urged me to seek some rest, kindly offering himself, young
gentleman as he was, to take my place beside the little sufferers. ' '

To another we are indebted for the following communication
from Hartford : —

" I have understood that it is difficult to gather particulars
as to the first years of his ministry here. The truth is that he
was not a man to strike out new courses, when the old did
not need change ; he went on quietly, and the result of those
first years was St. John's Church. When he came, in 1834,
Christ Church was large enough for its congregation. Without
unusual measures or new arrangements (though I think that he
established the Wednesday Evening Lectures and Sunday School
Teachers' Meetings), he ministered, asthesun ministers, toa steady
increase and growth. His preaching and living set forth the
true and lively word, and he did rightly and duly administer the
holy sacraments. In this city, Congregationalists especially, and
other denominations, had always disliked the Church, and opposed
it, but they honored, respected, and loved him, and many came
and joined the Church where he ministered.

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. 157

In referring to Mr. Burgess' influence outside of the Church,
I do not intend any contrast with his predecessors, faithful men,
who brought many into our communion, but he was especially
liked by all. The impression which he made on all classes was
of humility, gentleness, and heavenly mindedness.

So his flock became too large for its accommodations, and a
new church was needed. No quarrel or controversy on any
subject was the occasion, as often happens, of a division and a
new church. Many left by his request their home in Christ
Church, to help build up the new parish. The story of his first
years in Hartford is also the story of the beginning and estab-
lishment of St. John's Church, which was the consequence of his
quiet, unintermitted labors. St. John's Church was consecrated
seven years after he came here."

"I have heard that Dr. Hawes used to say that wherever he
went among the poor, he found Mr. Burgess' footsteps."

" Who is the best pastor in Hartford?" was once asked by a
stranger. The answer came from Rev. Dr. Hawes, for many
years over the First Congregational Parish in Hartford, and it
was prompt and decisive: "The Rev. George Burgess of the
Episcopal Church; he is better than myself or any other."

A description of one to whom he would never have ventured
to compare himself, applies so truly to him, that I cannot for-
bear using the same words.

"He manifested a gentle, loving, forbearing temper, show-
ing tender consideration for others, and generous pity for their
temporal and spiritual wants. It would be little to say of him
that he reviled no man ; that he wronged no man ; that he
oppressed no man ; nay, that he preserved a conscience void
of offence ; or even that he adhered strictly to the laws of truth
and justice, integrity and faithfulness in the whole of his con-
versation and deportment. He was far more than all this.
He had learned of his Divine Master lessons of meekness and
forbearance, gentleness and kindness ; and had imbibed much
of His lowly and lovely spirit. In one word, he had ' put on
Christ,' and in putting Him on had 'crucified the flesh with its
affections and lusts,' its natural tendencies and impulses, and
stood forth complete in Him, a new creature, a far better, and
nobler, and more loving creature. He encouraged in young
converts every opening promise of goodness. He carefully cul-
tivated every favorable symptom. He was 'gentle among them,
as a nurse cherisheth her children.' He did not expect every-
thing at once; he did not exact that a beginner in the ways of
religion should start into instantaneous perfection. He did not
think all was lost if an error was committed ; he did not abandon

IS8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

all hope if some less happy converts were slow in their progress.
He protected their budding graces ; he fenced his young plants
till they had time to take root. If he rejoiced that the hardy were
more flourishing, he was glad that the less vigorous were never-
theless alive.

Being familiar with the infirmities of our common nature, he
could allow for doubt and distrust, misapprehension and error;
he expected inconsistency and was not deterred by perverseness ;
he bore with failure where it was not sinful, and reproved obdu-
racy without being disappointed at meeting with it. . In his most
severe animadversions, he did not speak of any with hopeless
harshness. He seldom treated the bad as irreclaimable, but
generally contrived to leave them some degree of credit. He
seemed to feel that by stripping erring men of every vestige of
character, he should strip them also of every glimmering of
hope, of every incitement to reformation."

In illustration of this trait, an instance may be given. An
effort was made to promote congregational singing, and a teacher
engaged to meet the congregation on one or two evenings in the
week in the lecture-room, and practise with them sacred music.
After a few of these meetings had been disturbed by some
restless boys, who went to play rather than to sing, a prominent
gentleman of the parish undertook to wait on their parents and
request that they should be forbidden to attend. While on his
round of visits, he encountered the Bishop and explained the
matter to him. The Bishop at once begged him to withdraw the
prohibition and have patience with them, saying that there was
no surer way to ruin boys than to tell them that they were too
bad for steady society. The boys were not slow in learning the
whole story, and one of them, in repeating it at home, added,
" The Bishop thinks there may be some good in us yet."

To an intimate friend and former parishioner application was
made for some recollections of the Bishop as a pastor, while in
Hartford. Though on a sick bed, she made the attempt to com-
ply with the request, but was checked by increasing illness. Her
rough notes were copied and sent by her family. Unfinished as
they are, they show such a beautiful appreciation of the Bishop
as a friend and pastor, that they are gratefully used without
alteration.

"I agree with you in thinking it desirable to obtain different

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. 159

views of a character so perfectly rounded and harmoniously
developed, as hardly to be fully appreciated by anyone individual.
To me he is not merely the wise and farseeing Bishop, nor the
man of rare information and indefatigable patience,, nor yet one
from whom my love for the beautiful met full sympathy. To me
he comes in perpetual youth, a model which St. Paul might well
have had in view when he wrote to Titus, ' young men also ex-
hort to be sober minded.' Can any of the congregation to
whom he ministered in youthful dignity, ever forget the discre-
tion, the humility, the meekness with which he fulfilled his pasto-
ral duties ! I never could judge what he was as a preacher ; ser-
mons flowed so gently yet so earnestly from the tongue, ever
dropping well chosen words of sympathy and comfort.

How the members of his parish looked forward to those social
visits, as once in every three months he went the rounds of
his parish, not professedly for religious intercourse, but making
one feel by the purity of his character that in his presence
conversation must drop all frivolity ! And yet how humbly
on public occasions he would glide into a church and seat
himself near the door, till some one drew him to the place of
honor beside his compeers, making me always think of the
promise of our Lord that to him who sat down in the lowest
room, it should be said, 'Friend, go up higher.' Notwith-
standing his own social advantages, he never seemed to have
anything like respect of persons, and I do not think that the
humblest of his parishioners ever felt that he was aware of any
difference between them and those of the most exalted rank.

How glad I was to see that he kept that beautiful humility
when raised to the Episcopal office.

When I last saw him administering the communion in a sick
room, the perfect simplicity with which he performed the service
and the tender familiarity of the preceding remarks, gave me
more an idea of the Last Supper of our Lord than any sacra-
ment I have ever witnessed. To those who partook of that
blessed feast, it was a last supper, and the brief, clear state-
ment of our reasons for believing that we should recognize each
other in another world, fell like oil on our troubled hearts.

Such scenes linger in the memories of all who loved him, but
they cannot be told to the world who knew him not. To know
what he was as a pastor, it would be necessary to be acquainted
with the circumstances which brought to light all those peculiar
virtues which his rare modesty and inborn reticence hid from view.
In all the most painful and delicate circumstances, his counsel
and sympathy were eagerly sought, and this very intimacy of in-
tercourse with his parishioners makes it difficult to bring out what
he was in the pastoral relation.

l6o MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

There was only one thing of which his people did not dare to
speak to him, and that was the failings of their fellow men, for to
these he seemed ever blind. It was only when hearing his clear
expositions of what men ought to be, that one learned that he
did not think all around him faultless. To one who was dilating
on the faults of a young impulsive member of his congregation,
he said, ' So she did wrong; well, then, she was sorry for it; she
always is for all her shortcomings;' thus effectually ending the
conversation.

When his own church overflowed, the difficulty was not met
by raising the price of seats and forcing those who could not
buy them to leave the parish ; but some of his leading men were
prompted by him to form another parish. 'The Scripture tells
us,' he said, 'that the poor have the Gospel preached to them,
and I do not wish to preach to the rich only ; I should not feel
that I was preaching to a true branch of the Church of Christ if
the poor were not fully represented.'

His success in winning souls to Christ was remarkable, but
attained by an unusual method ; his sermons were mostly ad-
dressed to Christians, and, by showing what they ought to be,
he won those without the fold to its sacred precincts.

I never saw any one sceptical enough to doubt the reality of a
piety which so scrupulously fulfilled every duty of a man and a
citizen.

He stood one morning in autumn by one dying of delirium
tremens, and, as he looked from the flushed face, soon to wear
the paleness of death, to the crimson foliage without, he mur-
mured, in a broken voice, 'we all do fade as a leaf; our iniqui-
ties, like the wind, bear us away.'

Those present with him at such times saw the solemn tender-
ness with which he ministered to the dying; but only the heart-
broken penitent could know how like dew the sweet promises of
pardon fell from lips ever tremulous, at such times, with deep
feeling.

His own charities, like his other ministrations, were so unob-
trusive, that his benefactions were

'Only by riclier greenness seen.'

He hardly thought of almsgiving as a duty of Christians, but
only as a natural and pleasant manifestation of that love which
he sought to fertilize in all hearts. After some labored appeal
from others, how simply he Avould step forward and say, ' I
know that this true case of need has only to be placed before
you to call forth your liberal aid.'

As an instance of his whole-hearted kindness, I remember
that a stranger going to Virginia asked him if he knew any cler-

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. l6i

gyman to whom he could give her a letter ? The answer was a
pile of letters to every clergyman he knew in the Diocese, each
kinder than the other."

The next communication comes from a parishioner in Gardi-
ner : —

*' Many of the Bishop's parishioners in Gardiner felt, after he
had been settled there a few years, that his time and strength
were too heavily taxed by having the sole charge of a large par-
ish, in addition to his diocesan duties. After he had long borne
this double strain, the members of the Parish Sewing Circle,
with great unanimity and interest, proposed to raise a sufficient
sum by their efforts, to defray the salary of an assistant. This
purpose was not mentioned to the Bishop till the necessary
amount for one year had been secured. When it was communi-
cated to him, he was much touched by the proof of interest
thus given, but declined appropriating the funds to the' proposed
purpose, and so decidedly that it was felt to be useless to urge it
further. The reasons given were, that he did not feel that he
had more work than was good for him ; that he considered it
important to the spiritual well-being of a bishop to have the
care of souls, and be brought into intimate contact with the
experiences and sorrows of his people; and, above all, that
when there were so many outlying places in the Diocese in need
of clergymen, whose wants he found it so difficult to supply, he
should not consider it right to appropriate another to Gardiner.

Perhaps had his cares been confined exclusively to his own
flock, the labor might not have been too much for his strength ;
but he was emphatically a missionary to the poor, and nothing
was more remarkable than the manner in which he was sent for
to attend the dying beds and read the funeral service over the
graves of many, who had never been in the habit of attending
public worship in any form or had testified respect for religion
in their lives. It seemed to be felt that the prayers of the Bishop
and his administration of the Sacrament of Baptism had a pecu-
liar unction ; and as it soon became known that he never refused
a request to attend a dying bed or a distant funeral, the demands
became very frequent. Sometimes the time appointed for the
latter would occur between the morning and afternoon service,
and at a distance of six or eight miles, leaving no moment
for rest between; and, as these calls were frequently made by
persons not belonging to the Church, and often quite ignorant
of much that, as our Prayer Book expresses it, ' a Christian ought
to know and believe to his soul's health,' the Bishop generally
made a short exhortation at the grave, solemn, but full of sym-
pathy as well as instruction.

l62 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

More than once he has been alone by the bedside when the
spirit took its flight from the abode of poverty and wretchedness.
On one occasion he was called to baptize a dying infant in a poor
family, who had lately moved into the place ; one of those whose
wandering habits seldom let them remain long enough in any
town to obtain a 'residence.' He visited the parents daily till
the child died, and then followed the little coffin on foot, in a
driving snow-storm, through a road so blocked with snow as to
forbid the use of a vehicle, with the father and sexton alone, to
the burying-ground of the poor, a mile and a half out of town,
and read the service over its grave. He could not bear, he said,
that one of Christ's little ones should be laid in an unhonored
grave.

All these ministrations were so quietly and unobtrusively per-
formed that it was only by degrees that it began to be realized
how deep was the reverence felt for the Bishop, and how wide-
spread his influence had become throughout the State, far beyond
the pale of his own Church. Once and forever was thus put to
flight in Maine that ignorant and unreasoning prejudice, formerly
so prevalent in New England, that the Episcopal Church is an
aristocratic one, unsuited to the needs of the poor and the un-
educated.

He was remarkably insensible to personal inconvenience or
discomfort. When any parochial duty was in question, he
seemed simply to ignore cold or heat, storm or fatigue, and all
was done with the same calm, quiet, straightforward manner that
belonged to all the acts of his daily life ; so that his smiling look
of surprise when remonstrated with at the exposure and fatigue
he often encountered, for a moment reacted on his friends, and
half persuaded them that there really was no exertion made
more than taking a short walk on a pleasant day.

He had a peculiar aversion to a young clergyman's ' making
a fuss' over anything he did, or enacting the martyr over small
trials or efforts, and his example had a wonderfully bracing
effect in establishing a tone of manly simplicity in his younger
brethren.

In dangerous cases of illness, he seldom omitted a daily visit,
even when the distance was considerable and thfe weather severe,
always walking when within a few miles.

He once said, in answer to a remark of one of his parishioners,
that so constant an attendance on the sick poor must wear greatly
upon him, with one of his bright peculiar smiles, ' Oh, no !
that is the most sustaining and invigorating occupation I have.
In such scenes one is raised above the common cares and thoughts
of this life, and brought near the borders of the unseen world.
What really wear upon me are the common duties and claims of

BISHOP BURGESS AS A PARISH PRIEST. 163

social life.' Any one who knew the Bishop well must have felt
the absolute truth of this remark.

A very striking characteristic of Bishop Burgess was his feeling
and bearing towards the poor. No Christian minister of so
much earnestness and single-hearted devotion to the Master's
service, could be otherwise than kind and compassionate to
those in need. But with him the poor were a sacred class, hon-
ored, and, as it were, consecrated by the Saviour's choice of their
position over all others in this multitudinous world, for the period
of His mortal life and the scene in which should be wrought out
the salvation of the human race. The Bishop's manners were
always courteous to the poor, eminently so. With kind, char-
itable persons there is often a condescension in their bearing to-
wards the poor, which must jar upon honest self-respect where it
exists, and add to a feeling of degradation which is already a
barrier to exertion and improvement. The Bishop's manner
towards them spoke of respectful sympathy. In the spiritual
world he seemed to feel their position to be almost above his
own, and that it was an honor to minister to their necessities
of mind or body. From this arose, I believe, the unbounded
veneration felt for him by all classes throughout his Diocese,
where the poor abound far more than the rich. But all, of what-
ever station, recognized in him a man singularly near his Divine
Master in spirit, and as one enabled to look at the human beings
around him, habitually in all the daily intercourse of life, as the
heirs of immortality and divested of the temporary distinctions
which belong to their earthly life. And yet there was nothing
whatever of radicalism or levelling in his thoughts. He truly
honored all men, but if there were degrees in this sentiment, the
balance turned in favor of the poor.'

To these full descriptions of the Bishop's pastoral life, a few
items may be added from other sources.

He has been aroused in the middle of a winter night by a
request from entire strangers, to go with them to a distant part
of the town to see a poor woman who was dying of diphtheria,
and has gone Avithout hesitation. This sick stranger had moved
into the town but a few days before, and when she felt the need
of a clergyman, her neighbors had, almost as a matter of course,
directed her to the Bishop.

His general plan was to spend the morning and evening in his
study, and the afternoon in parochial visits. The very ill he
visited every day, in extreme cases going at any hour which was
found to be most for their convenience.

1 64 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

He never spared his steps in making his parochial calls, but
would go to different and distant parts of his Parish on the same
day. When it was suggested to him that he might economize
his steps, taking one neighborhood at a time, he said that people
did not value visits that were so evidently made according to
rule \ but that they were gratified if they thought that the walk
Avas taken expressly to see them.

In conversation once with a clergyman who had charge of a
mission parish and who spoke of the moving and changeable
character of those under his care, the Bishop remarked, "Your
mission thus extends its influence to a larger number of persons,
and those the very persons who need such influence, than can be
estimated. Bless God you are in such work."

An extract from an article by the Rev. Wm. S. Bartlett, of
Mass., may form a fitting conclusion of this section.

''It is related that during one of the wars in Europe a learned
man was wounded, carried away prisoner, and placed in a rude
hospital, with many others of the conquered. Poverty and sick-
ness made him appear like the rest of the squalid company who
were huddled together in that ill-provided receptacle. Some
surgeons stopped at his bedside. One of them remarked to
his companions: 'Fiat experimentum in corpore vili!' The
wretched sufferer exclaimed in the same language, ' Call not that
body vile for which Christ died !' It is hardly necessary to say
that this evidence of culture rescued the patient from the fate
which seemed to await him, and that he was placed in a situation
of greater comfort. It was enough for Bishop Burgess that a
person bore our common humanity to excite his interest, and to
receive from him, if needed, his counsel and charity. And it
was for the same reason that the patient of whom I have spoken
gave : 'Nobody was to be esteemed vile for whom Christ died !'
It is undoubtedly true that the Bishop's unwearied attention to
persons who were reduced to poverty, some, perhaps, who had
outlived their relatives and friends, and some even who were
degraded by their vices, attention rendered not unfrequentlyatthe
cost of much fatigue and exposure to the weather, and sometimes
involving much wear and tear of feeling, had no small share in
breaking up what was originally a strong constitution."

LETTERS. 165

XXVI.

LETTERS.

The Bishop never failed in active watchfulness over the younger
members of his kindred, and especially when the relation of
sponsor or of guardian existed.

The three following are addressed to two, servants of the Lord
in their youth, and in the same youth called to his eternal service.

Gardiner, April loth, 1851.

"My dear George: I am very grateful to God that you are so
much interested in the duty of receiving confirmation as to write
to me on the subject. And I will endeavor to give you the best
counsel which is in my power, desiring you, however, always to
remember that no friend, however dear or however respected,
can come between you and your Lord. You must look up to
God for wisdom and grace to see clearly your duty and to per-
form it ; and if you can truly offer, from an humble, single heart,
the prayer contained in the last two verses of the cxxxix. Psalm,
you may trust that you are in the path of safety.

The idea which you express of the nature of confirmation is
entirely correct. It is, indeed, on the part of him who receives
it, the act of assuming as his own the engagements into which his
sponsors entered in his behalf, and declaring his strong desire
that the Lord should be his God. Much is contained, however,
in this definition ; but if you will carefully consider the questions
and answers in the baptismal service, the reply in the Catechism
to the question, 'what is required of persons to be baptized,'
and the last answer in the Catechism, you will have the best
view of the preparation for confirmation. For it is the same with
the preparation for baptism ; and if you would be ready to receive
baptism, supposing that you had not been baptized in infancy,
you are ready to be confirmed. It is the same also with the
preparation for the Lord's Supper; because any one who has
been confirmed is free to come to the Lord's table. You see,
then, that in all these places the preparation is described as
repentance, through which sin is forsaken, and temptation re-
nounced ; and faith in the mercy of God through the merits and
death of our blessed Saviour, which wherever it is real and ear-
nest, embraces a strong desire and humble determination, by
God's help, to live a Christian life, and walk in His holy will
and commandments.

1 66 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

A simple way of trying your fitness is to take the baptismal
questions, and ask yourself in your own chamber whether you
can answer to them as in the presence of God alone ; and if you
can return the answers before God, you need not fear to return
them before men.

But I will go further, my dear George, and place before you
some other questions, by way of showing you more fully what
repentance, and faith, and a Christian life really are. Do you
feel that you are sinful ? Do you see that, if you were left to
yourself without the grace of God, you would grow up in sin, and
be led on to everlasting ruin ? Have you felt yourself drawn to
flee from sin, to fear temptation, and to choose the service of
God as your portion ? Are you truly thankful that your heavenly
Father sent His Son into the world for your salvation ? Do you
trust in the Lord Jesus as your Saviour ? Do you desire to be
willing rather to lose the whole world than to lose your own soul ?
Are you ready, for the sake of Christ, to bear any shame or ridi-
cule from the thoughtless and wicked ? Do you mean to live in
the habit of daily self-examination, as well as of reading the
Scriptures and of private prayer? Do you wish to receive the
Holy Communion, either at once or within a year, and to be pre-
paring for it with such self-examination as that described in the
Catechism ? Do you feel that all will be fruitless unless you per-
severe to the end ? Do you feel that you have no strength for
all this, except that which you will receive from the Holy Spirit,
in answer to your prayers? And are you determined, by God's
help, always so to seek that you may find ?

If so, and if you have been for some time reflecting on the
subject, I should counsel you to go forward without delay. If
it is but very recently that your attention has been drawn to it,
I should recommend to you to take the advice of your parents,
whether you should be confirmed now or on the next occasion ;
but if you should wait, by all means to decide now that it shall
take place then, and to be daily striving to be in readiness. My
own knowledge of you and of your education would not lead me
to think such a delay best ; but your parents can judge better of
your liability to act hastily.

If you have indeed chosen the better part, my dear nephew,
and given up your heart to be made a temple of Him to whom
you were dedicated in baptism, the blessing of the Lord is with
you ; the prayers of your friends are answered, and there is joy
in heaven. It will be a blessed example for your younger
brothers and sister ; and I trust that a life of usefulness is before
you. My prayers have always been offered for you, such as they
are ; and they will be offered at this time, especially, that God
may guide you to that decision, wliich will be pleasing in His
sight, and forever a blessing to your soul.

LETTERS. 167

Give my love to your dear father and mother, and think of
me always as

Your affectionate uncle,

George Burgess.

P. S. I have not spoken of what confirmation is on the part
of God. But it is the seal of great and unfailing promises. There
are many good books on the subject of confirmation, some one
of which you might well read. Amongst the best are Dr. Tyng's
Guide to Confirmation and a little address of Dr. Lewis."

Gardiner, May 22d, 1852.

" Mv Dear George: As I was passing through Portsmouth,
your mother gave me a letter which she had received from you,
and desired that I would take an opportunity to answer it. This
I am very glad to do, hoping to enable you to give an easy reply
to any who may object to the blessed doctrines of that Scrip-
tural Church in which you have been educated, and to which you
owe so much.

There seem to be two questions which have been before the
minds of your friends, and which must not be confused. The
first is, as to the connection between regeneration and baptism.
The other is as to the baptism of infants.

With regard to the first point, the term ' regeneration' is
directly applied in the Scriptures to baptism. It is thus applied,
in the third chapter of St. John, and in the third chapter of
Titus. The early Christians so applied it with one voice, uni-
formly speaking of the baptized as the regenerate. So did all the
Reformers ; Luther, Calvin, and all the rest without any hesita-
tion.

The meaning of all this is that baptism is the sign, the expres-
sion, the sacrament, of spiritual regeneration. It is true that a
person is regenerate in baptism, in the same sense in which it
is true that he eats and drinks the body and blood of the
Lord at the Lord's Supper. It is a sacramental transaction ; in
which, if the ordinance be received in faith, all which it expresses
and signifies becomes real. Recollect that it is only a name, the
name 'regeneration,' which is here concerned. No one has
a right to say that regeneration can signify nothing but a change
of heart, unless the word of God has said it before. But the
word of God has not said it, but has, on the contrary, clearly
applied the name to baptism, 'the washing of regeneration,'
being connected with the 'renewing of the Holy Ghost,' just
as being ' born of water' is connected with being ' born of the
Holy Spirit.'

As to the second point, the baptism of infants is nothing more
than those parents did who brought their children to our Sa-

1 68 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

viour, that he might bless them. The Baptists forbid it ; but He
says, ' Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.' You will ask no
other authority ; if you did, the practice of the Apostles and of
the whole Church from their time downward would give it. And
though I have great respect for many individual Baptists, yet I
cannot but think that the rejection of infant baptism, falling in
as it does with the sinful slothfulness of so many parents, has
been one of the greatest causes of the growth of irreligion in our
country, especially in this region. What reason have you to be
thankful for parents who gave you to God at the font, and then
trained you up in His fear and faith ! Never, I beseech you,
listen, for a moment, to any persuasion which would tempt you
to wish to have been brought up out of the Christian covenant,
and to regard all children as simply like the heathen, as to all
participation in the pledges and ordinances of our Saviour.

When children are baptized, of course the whole transaction
looks forward to the future. The same language is applied to
them as to grown up persons ; but the engagements of their
sponsors indicate the conditions of the covenant, to be fulfilled
hereafter. But the original promise and gift of grace are un-
conditional ; their very reception into the covenant at all is an
act of God's free favor ; all must begin from His love ; and in
faithful anticipation that what He begins He will perfect, we do
not hesitate to bless Him that baptized children are in a most
important and Scriptural sense, ' regenerated by His Spirit,' and
made His children ; that their Christian life is begun.

You ask, ' From what sin is a person washed by baptism ?'
From every sin from which Saul was washed when he obeyed
the command, ' Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy
sins;' from every sin, past or future, of which he repents or
shall truly repent. The washing is sacramental, not literal nor
merely internal, but as baptism is the appointed seal of the
divine forgiveness. ' Repent, and be baptized for the remis-
sion of sins.' If you mean, from what sin is a child washed,
you must remember that the child has a sinful nature, and
cannot please God till this is cleansed through grace ; and more-
over, that he is sure, if he lives, to commit actual sin, the for-
giveness of which, whenever he truly repents, he can regard as
sealed by his baptism.

I hope, my dear George, that at your age, you will not go too
far in the discussion of any matter of controversy. But you are
right in wishing to be able to answer objections. Do not suffer
your mind to be at all drawn away from the straight and narrow
way of duty, do not think all religious persuasions equally good.
There are good men in many of them, many good men; but the
Church is the safest path.

LETTERS. 169

May God bless you in all your studies, and prepare you for a
life of usefulness !

Your affectionate uncle,

George Burgess.

P. S. Bishop Meade's 'Companion to the Font' would be
useful to you. Dr. Crocker, I presume, would lend it, or some
similar book, to you."

Gardiner, April 4th, 1853.

"My Dear Eliza : We heard with great thankfulness of your
confirmation, because we believed that you had chosen in your
early youth the ways of piety and peace. I trust, too, that,
having been admitted to the Holy Communion, you will always
be enabled as long as you live ' to draw near with faith, and
take that holy sacrament to your comfort.' Your mother, who
has every confidence in your sincerity, earnestness, and know-
ledge of your duty, yet, feeling the value of counsel for one so
young, desires me to write to you, and I do it with great plea-
sure.

Nothing is of more importance to you, my dear child, than
to preserve stedfastly your habits of private devotion. Never
permit yourself to be deprived of this benefit by any circum-
stances or any companions. If you find one arrangement incon-
venient, adopt another ; and do not so prolong these private
duties as to make them a burden, lest you fall into temptations
to neglect. I hope that, besides your Bible and Prayer-book,
you have some good books of prayers or meditations which will
assist you in examining yourself, and in asking those things
which you need, and especially at the season of the Communion.
While you pray in secret to your Father who seeth in secret,
yet never let any one suppose that you are ashamed to be known
as one who prays habitually. It may spare you much trouble
and embarrassment if all who are around you understand that
you wish to live as a Christian.

Try to be courageous in this respect ; but be so with great
simplicity and humility. Do not seek to be distinguished from
others in any needless way. Be unaffected and undisguised.
Show kindness to all, and respect to those who are older than
yourself. Seek to be what a very young Christian should be,
modest, good-tempered, amiable, ready to promote the happi-
ness of others, and to enjoy whatever is right and innocent, but
always careful above all things to do what is pleasing in the
sight of your Father in heaven. This, I say, should be emi-
nently the character of a very young Christian. Then it will
continue to be your character through life ; but, if your life is

1 70 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

prolonged, other duties will arise, and other traits of character
may be demanded to which you are less called at present.

The question may sometimes present itself, how far you can
properly participate in some amusements in which religious per-
sons do not generally unite. It is a subject which is sometimes
trying to the young much more than in later years. You may
confide in the direction of your mother or other Christian friends
who are near you, and whose advice you can obtain. But it is
generally safest to err, if at all, on the side which, you are sure,
will not be against your conscience, and will not seem wrong to
any other person. The great danger is, however, not in doing
two or three times, something which is not directly sinful,
though of bad tendency, but rather in acquiring a love of trifling
pleasures and a habit of thoughtlessness. Whenever you find
this threatening you, be on your guard, and see -^vhether you are
not mingling too much with those who do not obey your Saviour.

I hardly need express the hope that you will endeavor to im-
prove your mind, to learn all which is to be learned at your
age, and to become prepared for usefulness hereafter. View
everything of this kind as a part of your religion ; seeking to do
well whatever you have to do, and asking the blessing of God
upon all your studies, labors, engagements, and enjoyments.
Think much of your blessed father. You have taken a step
which would have gladdened his heart. Endeavor now so to
act always as you know that he would have advised, and as he
must now approve, in the world where he 'lives unto God,' as
we humbly trust.

Write to me, my dear Eliza, if at any time you need any
counsel which I can give, or any other assistance ; and think of
me always as

Your affectionate uncle,

George Burgess."

An instance of care beyond his own family may be added.
A young friend having disclosed to him the state of mind of
another young person to whom she was about to write, he sent
her the following hints for her letter : —

" I would earnestly recommend to her to fix her faith firmly
on the word of God, and not listen at all to spiritualism, or
universalism, or anything that unsettles her mind.

Not to expect to understand all things, especially at her pre-
sent age, but keep an humble mind.

To put difficulties aside when she cannot explain them, as
many of them will appear very differently to her hereafter.

Not to reject the truth which may be preached, even if too

THE CLAIMS OF THE BOARD OF MISSIONS. 171

much should be said of God's wrath and of punishment to come :
because His word says much on these subjects. But she should
not dwell upon them chiefly.

The judgment is to be at the last day ; but at death the good
and the evil are separated ; and the spirits of the former are in
paradise, those of the latter in woe.

In the resurrection the spirit is united to the body, which is
changed so as to be incorruptible and immortal. It is necessary
that both should be united in the final state of being. We can-
not think of the future life except as children think of the world.
We see through a glass darkly. But if we love our Saviour and
follow him, we shall grow up to that heavenly state. It is
described only by images and comparisons with all which is
most beautiful here.

God is everywhere present, and all His works are to be ad-
mired and loved ; but He only, and not they, is to be worshipped.
We cannot comprehend His nature; but we must look up to
Him, through Christ, as our Father ; trust in His wisdom and
goodness; believe His word; and be sure that He will make
all clear to us hereafter."

XXVII.

THE BOARD OF MISSIONS OF THE CHURCH BEFORE ANY
VOLUNTARY SOCIETY.

The following letter, written in the spring of i860, in answer
to an invitation to attend a meeting to organize a new missionary
society, may be given without introduction or comment.

Gardiner, March 20, i860.

''Rev. S. H. Tyng, D. D., Rev. F. S. Wiley, Stewart
Brown, Esq.

Gentlemen : The circular bearing your signatures, and dated
on the 5th of the present month, invites me to be present at a
meeting at New York on the nth of April; and, should I be
unable to attend, asks an expression of my opinion in writing on
the expediency of such a movement as that in contemplation of
which the meeting is to be held. That movement is the forma-
tion of a Voluntary Missionary Association as a substitute, at
least on the part of those who may be connected with it, for the
present Board of Missions of our Church.

I am emboldened by this request to say more than I should
feel myself at liberty to do under other circumstances ; for I am
very sensible that I should have no right to expect much per-

172 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

sonal or official influence in the decision. But the reasons which
I may offer will, I am sure, receive just attention for their own
sake. I may be permitted, however, to remark, not in my own
behalf, but in that of others to whom the consideration is more
applicable, that if this subject is one in which they who stand
at the centre of commercial wealth, and dispense or control
nobly its contributions, have a strong interest, not less, at least,
is it that of those who on the frontiers of the Church or in for-
eign lands, entrust their own lives and their families to the care
of the kind Providence of God for the Gospel's sake, and in re-
liance on the large-hearted affection of their brethren.

The question is not whether it was wise to adopt the existing
arrangement, nor whether it is now best to set it aside by the same
authority by which it was adopted, but whether, side by side
with it, another shall be established, not as auxiliary, but as dis-
tinct and independent. Nor is it at all a question of the right to
do this ; but only of the expediency, and so of the duty.

I suppose it is not anticipated that the existing organization of
our Church Missions will at present be dissolved. My own
impression is, that whatever modifications may be adopted in
favor of the voluntary course of action, the Church can never
dismiss the subject from its collective counsels, administration,
and control. If the Church is not to ' preach the Gospel to every
creature,' I see not for what purpose it exists on earth ; and it can
no more surrender up to the voluntary action of individuals all
which concerns this duty at home or abroad, than all matters of
doctrine, discipline, or worship. The present organization may
or may not be the best ; but there must be somewhere in the
collective Church, a power answering to its duty to send forth
missionaries, specify fields, assign stations, regulate modes of
operation, prescribe laws, and collect contributions. That the
Church, having undertaken this, should now relinquish it, would,
in my view, be simply a neglect of one of its chief offices and
duties, and therefore inexpedient, as everything which is wrong
must be inexpedient.

But if, without the dissolution of the existing Board of Mis-
sions, a voluntary society should be established, there must be
two systems, each inviting support from the members of our
communion. That which already exists would have the prior
claim, also the influence proceeding from its solemn inaugura-
tion as the organ of the Church for the management of its mis-
sions. All who see no reasons for doing otherwise would natu-
rally continue to sustain it by their collections and donations. It
will be incumbent on the new society to show some reason for
doing otherwise. I can suppose none except such as shall declare
a want of confidence in the existing organization. As I am not
aware that any great dissatisfaction exists in connection with its

THE CLAIMS OF THE BOARD OF MISSIONS. 173

financial management, or any serious complaint as to other de-
tails, I conclude that the only want of confidence which will
be avowed must be of the most general character, and would be
felt towards any system which should be administered under the
direction and sanction of the whole Church through its constituted
authorities, representatives, and agents.

An attitude which indicates such a want of confidence towards
the Church whose members we are, must be most insidious and
painful. Nothing less than the strongest sense of unavoidable
duty and of abuses utterly intolerable, should constrain Christian
men to occupy such a position. Apart from this, it is one which
cannot, unless the necessity be apparent, but prejudice the cause
which is thus sustained, since, unless there be such a necessity,
it must appear unamiable, unkind, and selfish. It does not
invite confidence of itself, it does not attract, and so cannot be
expedient.

Then, in what a light does it present the Church, whose mem-
bers cannot agree even in the blessed work of sending out mission-
aries ! The very missionaries who are sent are of two classes.
They meet in heathen ground or in remote parts of our own
country, under different badges, with distrust upon each brow,
forbidden to be heartily brethren, by the very terms under which
they are sent forth ! And what can we have to say of the unity
of our Church, if it does not extend so far as to enable us to
work together in a field in which every other denomination holds
its members united. I am not aware of any denomination or
church, in which there are rival missionary organizations. Shall
we be the first? Is it expedient thus to offer the privileges of
our Church where it is little known ?

If it appear that there is ground for believing the action of the
present Board of Missions to have resulted in any preponderance
of the views on certain subjects which are held by one portion of
the Church rather than those which are dear to another, has
this been otherwise than through the fair and legitimate influence
of majorities ? If not, it cannot avail much to separate from the
Board ; for the majority of the clergy and laity, whether in the
election of Bishops or in the missionary field, must ordinarily
prevail ; and such as are most of the clergy, such, unless for
special causes, will be most of the missionaries. It is easier and
better to contend fairly for this superiority of numbers, within
the organization already established, than to originate and main-
tain another.

The inexpediency of such a contest is also manifest from the
fact that, at its very beginning, all but those who are prepared to
secede are necessarily placed in an apparent opposition to the
principles on account of which the secession takes place. Being

174 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

not with you, they are against you ; and yet they must include
vast numbers who have no conscious antagonism to evangelical
doctrine, and who would rejoice to see its prevalence everywhere
in the Church. But they remain where the banner of the Church
is spread forth, for they know no better standard ; and the seces-
sion tends, though often without full success, to throw the name
of the Church, and the weight of all its less active members, and
the influence of many impartial and pious people, without any
consent of theirs, on the side of the very errors which you seek
to oppose.

I am disposed also to claim it as a right of the mass of plain
Christian people, that they should not be compelled to make a
choice of this kind. They wish to contribute to missions ; the
Church ought to appoint the channel ; and not to leave them to
determine, every man for himself, which of two societies, headed
by two sets of gentlemen, deserves most their confidence. That
they should prefer that which has the sanction of the General
Convention, and of the body of their Bishops and pastors, is
natural, till they see some cause to the contrary; and it is a serious
responsibility which must be assumed by those who would shake
this very proper reliance.

Is it well, too, to aim even an apparent blow at the Episco-
pate ; and to teach the people to regard their Bishops with sys-
tematic distrust ? There is quite as much probability that the
Bishop will be a good and godly man, zealous and discreet,
sound and evangelical, as any other of the prominent presbyters
from amongst whom he has been elected. If the office is worth
retaining it is worth respecting ; and I fear that a new society,
established now, and entrusting to a committee functions which
are denied to the Bishops, and which they are accused of exer-
cising to the injury of evangelical truth, will be viewed as im-
parting an assault on some of their number, and a determination
to depreciate the authority and influence of all.

What security can be furnished for the doctrine of the mission-
aries of the society or of its committees? Is there to be any test
beyond the articles, the liturgy, and the promises at ordination ?
Are our clergy to be divided into two classes, one of which may
be employed by the society, the other esteemed unworthy of its
aid ?

If there be no test, what is this but the judgment of one
man or committee over against that of another; and why, on the
average, should your committee deserve greater reliance than the
Bishop and Standing Committee, or other Committee of any
Diocese ? What guarantee will you furnish to the Church for
care, impartiality, judicious selection, and evangelical truth ? If
there be a test, what is this but to narrow the system of the Church,
and say that it does not require enough of its ministers ? And

THE CLAIMS OF THE BOARD OF MISSIONS. 175

what is the position of missionaries who go out with their hands
or minds bound, so that they must not deviate from a Hne of
conduct, or of teaching, which other clergymen, if their con-
science permit, are free to disregard ? Would any of us consent
to such obligations, over and above those which the Church
imposes ?

I beg also that the virtual impossibility of two missionary
associations may be considered ; except in connection with large
cities. Only in such cities where there are several churches,
can the Episcopalian consult his preferences. Elsewhere, he must
go to the parish church and listen to the rector, whoever he be.
In such a parish you cannot well make contributions for rival
Missionary Societies. Parishes cannot afford to be divided thus :
nor can small dioceses : we must act harmoniously and leave the
luxury of double organization to others. Is it desirable then
that the minority in a parish should suppose their contributions
to be expended in the propagation of error ; or that small dioceses
should be agitated by continual attempts to turn their humble
policy in one direction or the other, to the great discontent of
the party which does not prevail ?

The analogy of the Church of England has here no application.
That Church is a great national establishment and embraces
multitudes, who, if it were not, might never have been in it ; and
many clergymen who but for its national and social position
would never have been clergymen. Our people, on the other
hand, are Churchmen by conviction, and have no strong reasons
for remaining in the Church, unless they believe its doctrines.
Our clergy have not been led to seek their office by any worldly
motives which would depreciate the standard of ministerial fidelity
and scriptural truth. The different societies in the English
Church have had a historical origin which ours can never have ;
they have not sprung from the simple determination to associate
in opposition to a general organization of the Church already
existing for the same purpose. Besides, that Church is of uni-
versal extent and able to include a variety of agencies, while we
are comparatively small, and must be weakened by division.

This leads me also to remark that they, who, in remote parts
of the country or in new parishes, have to make the Church
known, are greatly embarrassed in their work by the appearance
of organized differences within our communion. They find it
hard to invite people to dwell in a house which seems divided against
itself. The evil already exists, but a new Missionary Society
will aggravate it not a little. It is not differences of opinion that
disturb men of any reflection, for these they expect ; but they are
bewildered by organized parties ; and the apparent necessity of
taking one side or the other.

176 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

And after all is it a necessity in itself, and a duty to God, that
two great parties should be perpetuated in our Church through
means like these ? Can we do nothing together, beyond meeting
in Convention and once in the year receiving the Lord's Supper
with one another ? Is all our unity to be confined to the use of the
same ritual on Sundays ? Is it so that there must be no mutual
counsels ; no books read alike by all ; no association in schools,
colleges, or seminaries ; no exchange of pulpits ; no periodicals
having general circulation amongst us ; no manuals of instruction
which all can employ ; no Bishops revered by all their charge ;
but everywhere divided dioceses, divided parishes, divided
families? Some good men seem to answer 'yes,' but I hope
that the general voice will answer, as I am sure that the feelings
of my heart, and the convictions of my mind do loudly answer,
' no, no, there is no need of a gulf like this.' Errors must be
boldly encountered by force of scriptural argument and godly
example. Opinions rise and fall. The winds of doctrine blow
the unstable about. But the Church must not be divided for the
sake of fleeing from these. Its sacred places must not be aban-
doned to them, that we may labor more easily or more to our
own mind, where we can have sole control.

I will add but one word more to this long communication.
Division once organized, is usually permanent. The causes may
long have ceased ; the effect remains. It may even become
entirely altered in its own character, and present a complete
departure from its original spirit and purpose ; but as division,
it has created names, interests, pecuniary endowments, and a
history ; and so it stands. How surely would Puritanism and
Methodism have melted down into the Church again, and have
done it all the good which they could, had they not become
organized over against it. Where, as yet, is the instance of
effectual reunion, amongst all the separations of these latter days ?
I leave the thought with you. The meeting will act under a
responsibility which they cannot measure. Unless separation
should be a sacred duty, it must be a grievous wrong, entailing
very lasting results, which I dare not contemplate, in their pos-
sible extent and duration.

These, brethren most respected, are my reasons for deeming
the proposed establishment of a voluntary Missionary Society
distinct from the Board of Missions, to be entirely inexpedient.
I earnestly pray that those who shall assemble may be endued
with wisdom from above, and preserved from all decisions which
might too late be lamented.

I am, with the sincerest Christian regard, your brother in the
Lord, George Burgess."

BISHOP BURGESS AND CANDIDATES FOR ORDERS. 177

Subsequently in the same year the Bishop published in one
of the Church newspapers thirty-nine reasons for abiding by the
Board of Missions in preference to the Church Missionary Society.
In following years, both in conversation and letters, he sustained
the same views.

It has been thought best to insert in full the letter in this
section, among other reasons, because the name of Bishop Bur-
gess was published as that of a patron of the American Church
Missionary Society, while he never gave his approbation to the
principles upon which it was organized or his offerings to its
Treasury.

XXVIII.

THE RELATIONS OF BISHOP BURGESS TO YOUNG MEN AND
TO CANDIDATES FOR ORDERS.

This Section is contributed by one, from his earliest confes-
sion of Christ, under the care of the Bishop, the Rev. John F.
Spaulding, Candidate, Deacon, and Presbyter in Maine, now
Rector of St. Paul's Church, Erie, Diocese of Pittsburg.

Bishop Burgess had some peculiar qualifications for interest-
ing young men. He was sympathetic in his nature. He was gentle
and considerate in his intercourse. He could give advice or
administer reproof without seeming to dictate ; and impart in-
struction without appearing to exact a feeling of humiliation.
His words and manner, like the expression of his countenance,
were the index of his kindness of heart and sweetness of disposi-
tion. His conversation was full of the seeds of thought. It was
to an extraordinary degree animating and inspiring. One could
not be long in his presence without a feeling of elevation, and an
impulse to higher and nobler living. His influence is not to be
explained by his intellectual character alone, great as this was.
The impression he made was pre-eminently that of saintliness.
It was felt that his plane of living was higher than that of ordinary
Christians. You took knowledge of him that he had been with
Jesus. His whole mind and heart were engrossed by the motives,
12

178 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

the aims, the work of his Apostolic office. He lived in a spiritual
atmosphere, and that atmosphere ever surrounded him. He
seemed to exalt you to sit with him in the heavenly places with
Christ Jesus. Christian young men, whose privilege it was to
enjoy his friendship, will all agree in this testimony. They went
forth from his presence, or rose from the perusal of his letters
even, with better resolves, with higher aims, and with an increase
of strength for devotion to study, and for manly and Christian
living.

One who knew him in Hartford thus writes : —

" I shall never forget that amid all the cares of his ministry,
he ever found time for punctual and frequent instructions to those
who sought to study with him. In Hebrew he gladly gave private
lessons to a small class of students, in addition to his instructions
at Trinity (then Washington) College. He was never so busy
as to decline attention to the inquiries of the young or the doubt-
ing."

The interest he felt in young men suffered no diminution, but
rather increased, after he had assumed the responsibilities of a
diocese. The subject of his second charge shows that young
men continued to be the objects of his anxious thought. It was
" the duty of Christian ministers towards young men and men of
mature years." He early foresaw the importance of the Church
at Brunswick, the seat of the principal College in Maine, as a
means of bringing our doctrine and usages before the attention
of students, and exerting a healthful Christian influence. And
he had the happiness of seeing, in the course of his Episcopate,
a considerable number, whose first knowledge of the Church
had been gained through this agency, seeking her Communion
and preparing to minister at her altars. Regarded by the
students as one of the first scholars in the country, and admired
as a sound and able preacher, many of them would embrace
the opportunity of hearing him, afforded by his frequent visitations
to the parish, which generally resulted in the weakening of their
traditional prejudices against the Church of which he was so dis-
tinguished an ornament, or in some new view of the beauty of
holiness in her ritual. He frequently gave instruction to young
men in classical and other studies, and several were prepared by

BISHOP BURGESS AND CANDIDATES FOR ORDERS. 179

him wholly or in part for the sacred ministry. His Address
entitled "The Passage into the Ministry," delivered to the gradu-
ating class of our General Seminary in 1850, evinces his pro-
found sympathy with young men at this great crisis of life ; and
is full of wise and practical counsel in regard to the spirit in
which the great work of the ministry should be prepared for and
undertaken. It were well that every theological student should
read it preparatory to his ordination.

His relations to candidates for Holy Orders will be best exhi-
bited by reference to cases which are in no way exceptional or
peculiar, and may be taken, therefore, as types of his relations
generally to the class in question.

The writer of this section dares not undertake to express his
deep and reverential love for Bishop Burgess, from the time of
his first acquaintance with him. So far would the expression fall
short of the reality. For no other man did I ever feel such pro-
found reverence. In no other man did I ever place such impli-
cit confidence. His deep wisdom, his vast knowledge, his
practical experience, his soundness of judgment, his freedom
from bias or prejudice in his intercourse, might be found singly
in different individuals, but rarely in their combination in one
person.

My admiration for the Bishop, conceived from the first inter-
course with him, was only increased by fuller knowledge of his
character. He was in his study when I first saw him. I called
to make some inquiries on the subject of the Church, with a view,
should the way be made clear, of ultimately applying for bap-
tism. He answered my questions with great patience ; and then
directed me to the qualifications required for baptism by the
Church. I had never read nor heard the baptismal service of
the Prayer Book ; and as he repeated the questions and answers
to the candidate, a new light dawned upon my mind, darkened
as it had been by the influences of imperfect, sectarian forms of
religion \ and I saw that here something was called for, of a
depth, reality, and earnestness, far higher than could be found
in the results of excitement of feeling or transient religious expe-
riences. I was called away soon after to a remote part of the
State. But the Bishop never lost sight of me. I knew that I was

l8o MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

not forgotten by him, and that his interest in me and his prayers
for right guidance were continued. On one occasion, his dio-
cesan labors bringing him near my home, he drove twenty-five
miles in an open vehicle to see me. It was a cold winter day
and the roads were almost impassable. Finding that I was un-
fortunately absent, he left a letter, full of interest, good wishes,
and wise counsel, directing me to form the acquaintance of some
of the nearer clergy, and " trusting that the convictions, both as
to Christian duty and as to the character of the Episcopal Church,
will have become quite plain." A remark of his to a friend
concerning me, about this time, showed his confidence in the
position of the Church, and in the validity of her claims: '' He
is studying the history and doctrines of the Church, and I have
no fear of the result. For I never knew one to do so thoroughly
and prayerfully, without being convinced that the truth was on
our side."

He did not fail to present the claims of the ministry as a pro-
fession. Through his good offices, the advantages of our gene-
ral school of the prophets was opened to me. His loving inte-
rest followed me through its course of study, and his Apostolic
hands commissioned me for the work of the ministry. Thus was
my course in life determined.

His occasional intercourse with me, and his letters, which
were frequent, were in every sense paternal. His advice, in-
struction, admonition, were of the highest value. I can never
, think of the good Providence which made him my first bishop,
without unceasing gratitude to God. I speak thus of my own
case as one of many. The same faithfulness was shown to all ;
the same gratitude was inspired in all to whom he stood in simi-
lar relations.

One of the earliest of his candidates (the Rev. George W.
Durell) who, for many years, till God saw fit to remove the
Bishop from his earthly labors, continued to uphold his hands,
well loved by him, and well loving in return, contributes the fol-
lowing testimony : —

"Shortly after becoming a candidate for Holy Orders I met
the Bishop in his Church at Gardiner, and never shall I lose the
deep impression made upon me of the lovely and, at the same

BISHOP BURGESS AND CANDIDATES FOR ORDERS. i8i

time, the commanding character of the man. All my subsequent
intercourse with him only confirmed the first correct impression.
While I remained a candidate for the Sacred Ministry, the
Bishop's letters were filled with expressions that showed a pater-
nal care ; his counsels were eminently wise, judicious, and prac-
tical ; everything, indeed, which one so situated could desire or
need. On one point his inquiries were always very direct, viz :
whether my position gave me the opportunity for the frequent
and regular reception of the Holy Communion."

To the writer of the above lines, then a student in the Theo-
logical Seminary at Alexandria, were addressed the two letters
given below. The first of these was in reply to a question that
had been proposed to the Bishop in relation to a practice among
the Divinity Students of holding certain religious services in the
neighborhood. The other requires no explanation.

"Nov. 30th, 1848. With regard to the question which you
have referred to my opinion, I conceive that there is much
room for the exercise of your individual discretion. The cir-
cumstances and manner will determine the character of the pro-
ceeding. It would certainly be quite improper and irregular
that a student in divinity should undertake, or appear to under-
take, the task of preaching. On the other hand, no Christian
should be hindered from speaking a few words of friendly
exhortation where, in his opinion, they will be profitable to a
few individuals somewhat informally gathered around him, as
their Sunday school teacher, lay-reader or catechist. The
whole danger consists in the temptation to forwardness on his
part, and in the liability on theirs to mistake his position or the
order of the Church. My advice would be, not to refuse to say
anything where it is expected and desired and seems likely to
do good, but to avoid taking a text or expounding, so as to give
the manner of a sermon ; to be much more brief than sermons
ordinarily are; to take special pains in order to shun every
appearance of speaking with ministerial authority, and to impress
upon the people the fact that you are one of them ; and, for
this end, rather to address them from some other spot than a
pulpit or desk. Sometimes a pointed sermon might be read
with good advantage. If necessary, the people might be told
every Sunday that you are not a minister; but, within such
limits as can thus be easily imposed, I see no danger, and some
benefits in the practice, if it be pursued in a modest and pray-
erful spirit. I think that I have noticed in some of the young
men from Alexandria, a facility in adapting themselves to mis-

152 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

sionary labors and mixed congregations, which has partly grown
from this practice.

I thank you for the assurance of your kind remembrance in
your constant prayers. This stedfast communion will bind us
together, who are united in the same work for the same gracious
Lord."

" Jan. 31st, 1850. My Dear Sir: I rejoice that in approach-
ing nearer to your entrance on the Sacred Ministry, you are
filled with an increasing sense of the responsibility and of the
privilege of so high a calling. It is needful that we should
begin with such feelings, which, strengthened and preserved by
prayer, and Christian and pastoral experience, may resist all
deadening influence of future familiarity with ministerial duties ;
an influence which needs the counteraction constantly afforded
by very high and solemn remembrances of our account. At
the same time, remember that we 'serve a gracious God;' and
that there can be no happiness on earth like that of treading in
the footsteps of Him who went about doing good, and left us an
example of love.

Your course of reading has been, I think, very judicious; and,
as I have not the Alexandria course of study just now before
me, I presume that it contains the principal books which I should
have recommended. If you have not read Potter on Church
Government, I should think it desirable to add it to your list,
as well as Barrow on the Papal Supremacy, Seeker on the Church
Catechism, the tract of Bishop Griswold on the Reformation,
and some valuable sermons ; amongst which I would name those
of Sherlock, Seeker, Bishop Horn, Cunningham, Heber,
Hare, John Newton, Milner, Tillotson, Newman, Saurin, Mas-
sillon, Robert Hall, Davies, and Bradley. I name a miscella-
neous list, because I think it well to read two or three from
very different authors, with a view to the characteristic traits and
merits of each, so that your own sermons may be assisted in
taking form and character, and not be mere accidents, as it
were, and general exhortations. Bishop Meade's lectures have
appeared to me exceedingly adapted to be useful ; and I pre-
sume that you are acquainted with them ; otherwise I would
recommend them very earnestly. I do not, however, recom-
mend any of these books Avith reference to your final exami-
nation ; as that must be conducted with a more general view to
the whole sum of your studies and preparation, except so far as
it was covered by the first. In other words, it must be divided
into two examinations, embracing doctrinal theology. Church
history and polity, and the Prayer-book and Canons, and will
not turn upon particular books, but rather upon subjects. Let

BISHOP BURGESS AND CANDIDATES FOR ORDERS. 183

me desire you to make yourself familiar with the Constitution
and Canons of our Church ; and if in the Seminary Library
there is a copy of Reeling's Liturgise Britannicse, the examina-
tion of it, along with our Prayer-book, will be one of the greatest
aids to an acquaintance with the Liturgy.

Without pressing you too hard, I would yet suggest that all
the practice in sermon-writing which you can acquire, and all
the sermons which you can lay by, will relieve you so much
hereafter. It is wise, especially, to write every sermon which
you do write, with the purpose of actually preaching it to a con-
gregation when you shall have been admitted to the ministry."

For the fuller illustration of the subject some further extracts
from his correspondence may be presented.

Concerning a young friend in whom he felt a deep interest, he
gives the following advice, in the latter part of which an opinion
is expressed which seems particularly valuable for persons in like
circumstances.

'' Some little time since I had some conversation with

respecting his views for his future life, and was glad to find his
mind so much drawn towards the ministry. With regard to his
preparation of heart, I entertain the strongest trust that he would
be governed by the supreme wish to be an instrument of God in
the salvation of the souls of men ; but he must make it the sub-
ject of much prayer and earnest self-examination ; and then, if
the path seem clear before him, he can advance with a cheerful
heart, assured that, whatever be the trials of a faithful minister
of Christ, he will always rejoice at his choice, and bless God
who has called him to this service.

Whether he should at once commence his course of study
in that event after graduation, or delay it a year, I should be
disposed to leave very much to his own decision, according to
his feelings. He will be twenty when he leaves college. At
twenty-three he could enter with advantage on the duties of the
ministry; and I should not discourage him, if he should be dis-
posed to commence his studies without delay.

On the other side, should he pass a year in teaching in some
such position as would refresh his former acquisitions, or enlarge
his information, or should be engaged in any other duties which
would have a similar result, the time and experience would hardly
be less valuable to him than a year of study. I should hardly
recommend a year of mere general, miscellaneous reading, with-
out other employment. Ifwould not, I apprehend, leave him
stronger for the work of life. I should judge it better, supposing
that he had no other employment, and preferred not at once to

1 84 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

devote himself to the study of divinity, that he should still com-
mence some portions of it, and make all his other intellectual
pursuits work in as subordinate or collateral parts of a system.
I shall be glad to render him any assistance which may be in my
power ; and if it please God to preserve my life, hope to see him
one day an acceptable and useful clergyman."

One of the last letters he ever wrote, addressed to one who
was very dear to him, who had expressed some doubts concern-
ing his call to the ministry, is given in full. It is worth many a
long treatise on the requisite preparation for becoming a Candi-
date for Holy Orders.

Port au Prince, April 2d, 1866.

" After all which has passed with you, I can but say at once
that I am satisfied to advise you to commence your studies for
the ministry and consecrate yourself to your Saviour in His
special work. After your self-examination, and solemn prayers
and long deliberation, I do not perceive that further delay would
give you any greater assurance of the rectitude of your con-
science, or of the reasonable prospect of your usefulness. If it
is the desire of your heart to do the will of our blessed Redeemer,
for the salvation of the souls of men, that desire, all providential
circumstances concurring, is to be felt as the motive suggested
by the Holy Ghost.

There are one or two things, however, on which I would like
to have you reflect. You speak a little as if it were a simple
question between living to the world and living to God ; and you
must choose. Now if your religion is not such that you could
carry it with you in a life of business, I should fear that the world
would follow you into the ministry. Do not permit this, but
seek that your piety may be of that deep, uniform, practical kind
which adorns the ministry, but which could flourish anywhere.

It is also well, at this crisis of your life, to go over and over
again, a great many times, the grounds and motives of your
actions. For in days to come you may be tempted to become
self-indulgent, or ambitious, or slothful, or a ' ritualist,' or a
loose thinker in theology. I wish you to be able to say, ' For
no such purpose did I seek Holy Orders ; and having begun in
the Spirit, I will not now bestow my peace, hope, honor, and con-
science for anything which can allure a popular but heartless clergy-
man. That matter, if it please God, was settled from the first.'

I need not write at much length ; for I hope we shall see you
about the end of the month. We expect to return, Providence
permitting, by the Crusader."

BISHOP BURGESS AND CANDIDATES FOR ORDERS. 185

Alas, he never returned alive ! His words come to us with
the greater emphasis, from his nearness to that world of know-
ledge, light, and love, on the confines of which he stood, to
which he was so soon to be admitted.

The two preceding letters were in relation to a time just be-
fore the commencement of theological study. Two more will
now be added, to one who was studying in the General Theo-
logical Seminary. He was receiving aid through the Bishop's
kind offices, and had expressed a desire to relieve himself if
possible, of the obligation he was thus incurring. The Bishop
gave him the following counsel, with a wholesome caution against
an indiscretion not uncommon with the better class of students.

"Dec 8, 1856. It does not seem to me desirable that you
should incur a loan instead of receiving the appropriation of our
Board, which is not less able to meet it than before. The habit
of borrowing is one so easy of contraction, and future necessities
are so much less apparent than present ones, that, though I much
respect the motive which prompts you to suggest a loan, I would
much rather avoid it on your behalf. Indeed, had I been at
your elbow, I should certainly have said that ' rare old books
of English Divinity' were a luxury which I would not have
borrowed money from any friend to secure ; unless he would agree
to take the books themselves, if necessary, in payment hereafter.
The very fact that a book is rare would be generally a proof
that it was not important to a young clergyman, and the taste
for that kind of reading, though not altogether to be discouraged,
yet approaches too nearly to an eccentricity, to be, on the whole,
worthy of much and expensive cultivation."

As the time of his graduation drew near the Bishop wrote in a
letter dated June 15, 1857, to the same student : —

"• I must express my earnest and devout hope, that, at this
great point of your life, every step will be taken by you, with
thorough examination of yourself, and with the entire surrender
of your heart and services to the work of God in the salvation
of souls. Bring into the ministry no other spirit than that of
humility, kindness, diligence, and fidelity. Literary acquisitions
have their high value ; but put away the proud, critical, unchari-
table spirit which often attends them at institutions of theologi-
cal education. I know no motives which a man can justly believe
to constitute 'the moving of the Holy Ghost to take upon him
this office and ministration,' apart from the love of Christ, and
the desire to be instrumental in the salvation of our fellow men.

1 86 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

If these are the motives, everything else, we may prayerfully trust,
will find its place, and the Christian minister will not begin his
labor without aiming earnestly at the harmonious and full de-
velopment in himself of the Christian character."

Not all the Bishop's candidates for orders were young men
studying at a seminary or in private. There were others who
looked for a guidance bringing into requisition all his consum-
mate wisdom and prudence. The influence of the Church even in
so feeble a diocese as Maine extends far beyond her pale. The
Bishop's letters are before us, to a Methodist minister, whom the
Prayer Book had led to a knowledge and love of the Church,
though living more than fifty miles distant from any of our clergy.
Some extracts are made from the more important of the earliest
of them, as they are of some interest in themselves, and still
more in their bearing upon the subject.

'' Dec. 14, 1859. I need not say with how much interest I

read your letter It is a most striking order of events,

that without any practical knowledge of the Church, you should
have been drawn by the simple perusal of the Prayer Book,
which Providence threw in your way, to full satisfaction with the .
system, of which it is the standard and manual. I am not at all
surprised that the Prayer Book should win your heart; it rather
surprises me that any who know it should not prize it, next to
the Holy Scriptures. Besides, the Methodist body retains
by hereditary transmission from Wesley, a reverential sentiment
towards the ritual and organization of the Church, of which he
was a minister, and to which he always declared his attachment,
very different from the hostility of many of the early Puritans.

I earnestly pray that you may now and henceforth be so
guided as shall be for your own best comfort, for the good of
the Church of Christ, and for the welfare and salvation of souls.

Your wish to be in visible communion with the Episcopal
Church could, of course, cause no difficulty in itself. You would
be welcome to its communion whenever Providence should
afford you an opportunity to be there, and you could either
before or after, as you might have the opportunity, receive the
laying on of hands in Confirmation.

With reference to your position as a minister, while I exceed-
ingly respect the feelings which you express, you will also ap-
preciate, I am sure, the necessity under which I stand, of obtain-
ing information on various points, before I could properly
express a judgment as to the course which might be right and
expedient. The statements of your feeling, contained in your

BISHOP BURGESS AND CANDIDATES FOR ORDERS. 1S7

letter, do not permit me to doubt that you would continue to do
the work of the ministry in that spirit which, as to that first of all
requisites, the heart consecrated to Christ, would make me re-
joice to see you amongst the clergy of our communion. I know
nothing beyond your own communications, and the delicacy of
your position makes it incumbent upon me to refrain from in-
quiries in those quarters in which alone I could obtain informa-
tion otherwise than from yourself, with regard to several matters
which would necessarily demand consideration. Your standing
amongst your brethren ; the absence of any complaint against
you; your age; the degree of your education and attainments;
your qualities as a preacher ; the number of your family, and
their disposition with reference to this subject ; your own pre-
paration for the various trials and inconveniences which would
be inseparable from a change in your ministerial and ecclesiasti-
cal relations ; all these things would enter into the questions,
first whether you could comply with the requisitions of our
canons, and secondly whether, on the whole, you could look
forward to usefulness in our ministry in such a degree as to lead
you to seek admission to its ranks. I do not intimate a doubt
on any of these heads, but of course they should be with you the
subject of full reflection, and I should be glad of any informa-
tion, which you might think desirable, to assist me in forming an
opinion.

You will have observed in the Canons, that a minister of any
other denomination seeking Orders in our Church, is required to
pass through a candidateship of six months. This would not be
more than sufficient to secure to you a degree of familiarity with
our services, with the practical working of our system, and with
the writings of a few of our great teachers in Divinity, and it
would properly be spent where you could be in constant attend-
ance on our worship. I regret much that you are so far from
any of our churches. ... It will gratify me much to hear from
you again very speedily, and, in the meantime, I pray that the
God of all grace will direct your steps in all things."

In the next letter the Bishop writes: —

''Jan. 25, i860. Were you thirty years younger, I should
know what to say, but it is too late to commence any course of
systematic study; and, though our Bishops are authorized in
certain cases to dispense with the usual amount of academical
learning, they are obliged to require ' ecclesiastical' knowledge,
and also in such cases, testimonials of ' extraordinary strength of
natural understanding, a peculiar aptitude to teach, and a large
share of prudence.' This relates to the order of Priests. A
Deacon may be ordained with qualifications very limited ; but

1 88 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

he is not permitted to administer the Lord's Supper, nor to
have the full charge of a parish. Six months must in any event
elapse between your relinquishment of a charge among the
Methodists, and your admission to Orders in our Church.
There would arise the question whether your labors would meet
with acceptance and support. In this State we have few con-
gregations ; and it is very possible that the mode of preaching,
and the general habits acquired in another denomination, might
not be equally adapted to influence and usefulness amongst us.
If you could still labor where you are, or with just such congre-
gations, having the orders of our Church, and introducing
amongst them our Liturgy, that would indeed be most happy ;
but that could not be hoped. We could doubtless furnish you
with employment and a support, but I could not guarantee to
you that it should be as agreeable to your wishes as that to
which you have been accustomed. The change would be very
great ; and it would be deplorable should you ever be tempted
to look back with regret.

All these considerations would disappear, my dear Sir, as I
well know, before certain convictions of duty. Whether you
have or will have such convictions, your own heart will deter-
mine ; but it is not for me, under the peculiar circumstances of the
confidence which you have placed in me, to seek to know you
beyond the limits which you may have assigned. You have not
intimated to me, strong as are your feelings of preference for the
Church, and of reliance on its claims, that you could not with a
good conscience continue to exercise your ministry as you are ;
and, if you are so to exercise it, I have no disposition to dis-
turb you with doubts which your own mind does not suggest.
It has sometimes been with me a favorite dream that perhaps
the Wesleyans, as those who have least departed from the Church
in heart or doctrine, might be the first to consider the terms
on which these deplorable breaches amongst Protestant Christ-
ians may be healed. In any such effort, I am sure that your
good wishes would be no more wanting than mine.

Yout confidence has been faithfully kept, and I shall be glad
to hear from you again at any time."

After a considerable interval, in which several letters passed,
and books were sent, and an interview was obtained, at not a
little expense of time and travel to the Bishop, another letter
gives a decisive summary of the whole case.

" Oct. 26, i860. I have waited long before replying to your
last letter; and you may have some cause to complain. The
truth is that nothing but my anxiety to act rightly, and the diffi-

BISHOP BURGESS AND CANDIDATES FOR ORDERS. 189

culties of the subject, have been the occasion of the delay. But
it is time that you should receive an answer.

Your admission to Deacons' Orders in the Protestant Episco-
pal Church would occasion no embarrassment, so far as I can
see, after a candidateship of six months. Before the commence-
ment of the candidateship, however, it will be necessary for you
to discontinue your present pastoral connection, and the exer-
cise of ministerial functions. It will also be necessary in that
case to present certain testimonials described in the Canons. . .
These could doubtless be procured with ease, so soon as you
should have had opportunity to become acquainted with any
of our clergy. Could you leave your present residence, and
remain for some time in the vicinity of some of them? I pre-
sume that some provision for your support during that time,
might be required and could be made.

After being admitted to Deacons' Orders, you would remain
a year, unless it should seem especially expedient to shorten the
time, before you could take Priests' Orders; and then, as your
preparatory studies would not have embraced all that is com-
monly required, a testimonial would be necessary from two
Presbyters, stating that, in their opinion, you possess ' extraor-
dinary strength of natural understanding, &c.' This is on the
supposition that you are not able to read the New Testament in
the original Greek. I apprehend that you might thus look for-
ward to the Order of Priests ; but it would be wrong to hold out
any assurance which might possibly be disappointed.

Were you once in Orders in the Church, the question would
arise which gives me most anxiety. Our parishes in this Diocese
are few ; and the propensity to prefer younger men as ministers
is but too common, and, besides this, it is not to be expected
that at your time of life it would be perfectly easy to adapt
yourself in a moment to different usages from those to which
you have been accustomed. The practical question, therefore,
is, whether it could be reasonably hoped that you might be pro-
vided with a parochial charge, affording an adequate support
and a sphere of usefulness. I wish I were more sure than I am ;
and I desire that you would look at that portion of the subject
in such a manner that, should you make the change, and should
it prove unfavorable to your worldly interests, or require of you
less inviting labors than have before been your lot, you might
not feel that you had not counted the cost.

If, however, you are willing to trust yourself to the good
Providence of God, and think that even though by ill health
or otherwise, you were separated from ministerial labors of a
remunerating character, you could still obtain bread and rejoice
in the Lord, I shall not suggest this as an obstacle.

ipo MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

There may be places where your previous acquaintance with
those who are unacquainted with our Church, might help you to
introduce its services ; and an honorable and useful career might
open itself to you in the remainder of your active labors. I
hope and trust that you will always find joy and success in
preaching the one Gospel of our LoM and Saviour.

I have now placed the whole subject before you, and must
leave it to your determination, under the direction of the God
of grace, whose blessing I humbly ask for you in all things.

Of your desire for Confirmation, I have not thought it neces-
sary to speak at this time, because, should you become a Canon-
ical Candidate for our Ministry, that would follow of course.
Otherwise, I am not yet quite sure, in your present position."

Some time after, writing to the same, the Bishop says : —

"It is possible that my former letters may have left upon
your mind some rather discouraging impressions which I did
not intend, while I was careful not to suggest any prospect
beyond the truth."

It is sufficient to say that this honest and fair dealing, so deli-
cate, so pains-taking and conscientious, had its good effect, and
that the good brother, having studied theology under the Bishop's
direction, found a sphere of usefulness as a Priest in a rural
parish, not, however, till he had faithfully sought, though with-
out large success, to present the Gospel in the Church to his
brethren of his former connection.

Such were the Bishop's relations to his candidates for
Holy Orders. He ever treated them with paternal kindness.
Never did he suffer them to feel that their progress was lost
sight of. He watched their course with kindly care; both
stimulating and guiding their studies with such judicious counsel
as few men could so well impart. His purse was ever open to
minister to their necessities. He presented a gown to each
before his ordination if he was not able to procure one.
Among his papers were found a number of "notes" for various
sums, all marked "not to be called for," or "not to be col-
lected." None of his candidates ever doubted that they could
give him their confidence, and trust him fully as their spiritual
father, and rely implicitly on his friendship and assistance. No
bishop could ever have had clergy more devoted in their attach-

LETTERS TO A CANDIDATE FOR ORDERS. 191

ment, more ardent in their love, more profound in their respect
and admiration, than those who, through him, had obtained
their "passage into the ministry."

XXIX.

LETTERS TO A CANDIDATE FOR ORDERS.

The two letters following belong to the subject of the last
section. They were written before Dr. Burgess had the interest
of a Bishop in those preparing for the ministry. The opening
paragraph of the first letter illustrates a habit of his life, to be
always liberal by gifts, and by loans that often became gifts, to
aid those anxious to become ministers or already ordained. The
remainder of the letters shows how pains-taking were his endea-
vors to save young men, students of theology, from errors of
doctrine and practice.

While the Bishop here earnestly, not one-sidedly, combated
the ritualistic tendencies of his young friend, it is scarcely needful
to remind the careful reader of this memoir that he elsewhere
quite as strongly drives away the errors of latitudinarianism and
of disregard of the authority and customs of the Church.

Hartford, Feb. nth, 18 — .

" My dear Friend : I send you only half of the sum you
mention, for no other reason than that at this moment, through
a rather unusual combination of circumstances, I cannot spare the
whole ; but this portion I can spare with entire ease, so that you
must not be in the least disquieted. It will be also in my power
to advance you the other half, some six or seven weeks hence,
if that will be early enough ; but it occurs to me that if you make
this payable in October, and so have nothing to repay in April or
July, it may amount to nearly the same thing, because you will
then use your own money for your expenses. I will do just as
is most convenient for you. The following is the proper form
for a receipt or note: 'New York, Feb. 13, 18 — . For value
received, I promise to pay George Burgess, or order, eight
months after date, the sum of fifty dollars.'

Having thus disposed first of the last part of your letter, I will
now return to the beginning. Your reviews will undoubtedly

192 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

be found Interesting and particularly advantageous. It has long
seemed to me a singular thing that the views of Bishop White,
however correct in the main, should be made a class-book, or
that so much attention should be given to a point which, after
all, the Church has left open. I shall not repeat what I have
said to you before, of the strength of your expressions with regard
to the uncertainty in which you were, and the confidence which
you now possess. In all questions of degree, everything, of
course, depends on the manner in which language is employed.
You are comparatively uncertain ; you are comparatively cer-
tain \ and your expressions compel me to suppose that the effect
on your own consciousness is very decided. But the more de-
cided it is, the greater becomes the possible danger of error.
For, undoubtedly, the doctrine of the Church is a ground of
confidence, and demands great reverence. Undoubtedly, it is
sufficient for encouragement and guidance, especially, perhaps,
before other grounds can be thoroughly examined. All which
you say of the Church is, in some sense and to some degree,
true ; in an important sense and to an important degree ; and
yet there is a broader sense and a farther degree, in which it would
be a perversion of truth. Hence, the importance of knowing
precisely the force which is designed to be given to language.
You may suppose that I mean to assail all Church authority,
when I would only oppose the worship of an idol of the imagi-
nation. I may suppose that you substitute the Church for the
Gospel and the Saviour, when you mean only the Gospel and
the Saviour, as they are set forth by the Church.

If, my dear friend, by ' throwing yourself into the system of
the Church,' which is 'the power of God in the world,' you
mean that, being satisfied that the Protestant Episcopal Church
teaches only in accordance with the will and word of God, and
that its institutions, so far as they are not directly commanded by
Him, are excellently adapted under His guidance, to their holy
ends, you have great delight in the thought of exercising the
Christian ministry within that Church, where your lot is happily
cast, and are determined to yield an honest obedience to its laws
and canons, I am entirely of the same mind ; and God forbid
that you should feel or do otherwise. But if you mean that the
great object of your ministry is to be, not to do directly the will
and obey the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, but to observe
whatever you imagine to have been the practice of the Church,
Protestant, Primitive, or Catholic ; if you mean that, instead of
studying directly to promote the salvation of men through their
renewal by the Holy Ghost, you are only to bring them to the
sacraments ; that instead of preaching repentance, Christ cruci-
fied, the remission of sins, justification by faith, and the neces-

LETTERS TO A CANDIDATE EOR ORDERS. 193

sity of holiness, you are to make it your great end to carry out
an outward system, to fulfil rubrics to the utmost letter, to be
righteous overmuch in all forms ; then, be assured, you are mis-
taken. You belong to a Church which claims for its outward
system, beyond the sacraments, the word, the ministry, and
prayer, only a reasonable deference and upright obedience ; but
which has always most carefully distinguished between what is
divine and what is human in its institutions. It will not have
your blind submission. It will not place itself between you and
the word of your Saviour; but binds you to teach nothing as
necessary to salvation, which you cannot prove from His word.
And, as a minister of Christ, you would be very erroneously
employed, if your great efforts were directed to teaching any-
thing which is not necessary to salvation. Some of your expres-
sions seem to me to import a reliance on the Church, and a fear
of relying on the plain meaning of the word of God, which, I am
sure, is entirely contrary to the spirit of our ecclesiastical system.
Should you appeal from our Church to the Church Catholic,
that is, to the majority, I carry the appeal still farther ; to the
word, by which that Church must be tried, as well as every one
of its members, in the day of judgment.

The true system of the Church is to promote the kingdom of
God ; and ' the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.' I fear
that this may be too little represented at the Seminary, while a
kind of ' righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees' is too much
cultivated. What can it possibly matter, my dear friend, so long
as decency and reverence are observed, that the body should be
bent in one manner rather than another, at the name of our
Saviour ; that we should kneel with or without a support ; that
we should look towards the communion table or away from it ;
that we should wear a rolling collar or a straight one ? Or, even
in higher things, was not the true system of the Jewish Church
the observance of the law of Moses, and was it not greatly mis-
taken in the practice of the Pharisees ? And is not the true sys-
tem of the Christian Church the observance of the Gospel of
Christ, and may not this also be greatly mistaken, so that if the
Lord Himself were as once on earth, He would again be con-
demned as ' a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of pub-
licans and sinners,' a 'Samaritan,' a latitudinarian, a friend of
schismatics and dissenters? Depend upon it, there is such a
spirit, and there may be even such delusion.

I see no reason why your ordination may not take place at the
time you propose. Under the circumstances of the times, you
must expect that the examinations on the points in which our
13

T94 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Church disclaims the doctrines of the Church of Rome, such as
the sufficiency of the Scriptures, the infallibility of councils, and
the doctrine of the eucharist, may be somewhat more close than
has been usual. Under the same circumstances, do not think me
suspicious if I express the hope and trust that all of you will be
prepared to return distinct and discriminating answers, with sim-
plicity and with cordiality. In the meantmie, I pray that God
may send upon you ' the spirit of love, and of power, and of a
sound mind,' and prepare you to be able ministers of the New
Testament.

Your affectionate friend,

George Burgess."

Hartford, March 5, 18 — .

" My dear Friend : At so very important a point in your course
as the present, you will pardon me if I should burden you with
too many letters ; and I will not be unreasonable, knowing your
many tasks, in exacting answers. Your last letter, upon the
whole, afforded me gratification ; as it seemed to reduce the
matters which you had deemed so momentous to a greater sim-
plicity, and they, after all, were so little, if placed in their proper
position. They have undoubtedly grown in your mind to a
disproportionate magnitude ; but I trust that time and experience
will effect in your views, if previous reflection does not, a more
just symmetry between what is greater and what is less, the exter-
nal and the internal. Still I wish to bring before you as distinctly
as I can, the points in which I think that this disproportion per-
verts or lowers your conceptions of the aim, the functions and
the enjoyments of the Christian ministry.

The doctrines of the ancient creeds are as much honored in
my heart, and as safe in my hands, as in yours. You will not
and cannot suppose that the sacraments would be held in such
esteem by any minister of our Church, that he would not gladly
bring to them any fit candidate. I suppose, therefore, that on
these points I enter into the system of the Church as truly as any
one who proceeds upon your principles; and I beg you, therefore,
to set them aside from our present consideration, and to believe
that when you would most earnestly enforce the reception of
those doctrines or of those sacraments, you have not gone beyond
my wishes. Wherein then do we differ?

I can scarcely state specific propositions : for you would not
question a single assertion of the Scriptures, nor, I presume, of
the Articles. It is in the tone, the temper, the proportion. I
cannot describe it better than by appealing to your feelings and
my own. When we read some of the Fathers and some of the

LETTERS TO A CANDIDATE FOR ORDERS. 195

modern divines, too, and compare our sensations, the general
state of mind created, with those with which we have risen from
the perusal of the Scriptures themselves, apart from the authority
of the latter, we are conscious of a difference. Yet the writer
was pious, instructive, pure ; but he had not the glow, the free-
dom, the manliness, the depth, the glory of the Apostle. It was
like coming from the broad blessed light of the sun shining in the
bright vast heavens, and pouring beauty over all created things,
into the ' dim, religious light' of a cloister, all ornamented with
architectural work of exquisite skill, but narrow, sombre, and
only symbolical, not real. I would plainly ask you, do you in
your conscience think that St. Paul in his Epistles has in view a
system of Christian action and Christian views like that which
you prescribe to yourself?

But here I am met by the root of all. You refuse the appeal
to the Scriptures. You do not hold, allow me to say it with
tenderness, yet as a solemn truth, applicable not to you only,
but to many others at this day, you do not hold the Holy Scrip-
tures in that reverence in which I hold them. I know your reply,
perhaps horror struck, perhaps indignant. Yet, my dear friend,
so it is. I am not speaking, you will bear in mind, of little
children yet at their catechism. I am not speaking of very
ignorant persons, who are unable to search the Scriptures. I am
speaking of Candidates for Orders, and of clergymen ; of intelli-
gent, educated persons ; of persons trained for this very purpose,
that they might know, understand, interpret, and enforce the
word of God ; and of such, when they profess that they do not
deem themselves able to discover the meaning of the Scriptures
on the greatest of truths, the very truths which they were written
to promulgate, till they have ascertained the judgment of the
Church, or what they choose to term the Church, I can only say
that I have a reverence for the Scriptures which is inconsistent
with such a proceeding. They seem to me to treat the Scriptures
as if really they had no fixed meaning. Where a clearer doctrine
is to be found, I know not ; but they seem to suppose that Apos-
tles and Evangelists did not intend to express themselves so as
to be understood. For, otherwise, it would be profane in the
extreme to suppose that they did not succeed. The result corre-
sponds with this want of reverence. Why are you unwilling to
appeal to the Scriptures, even with a caviller, if you are not afraid
of the appeal ; if you have not adopted something which you fear
is less certain from the Scriptures than from what you name the
teaching of the Church?

But the truth is, too, as I fear, that the reverence manifested
for the Church is almost as delusive. To take an illustration,

196 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

my dear friend, from your own letter. You speak of the Church
to which you belong as having appointed daily Common
Prayer ; and therefore esteem it a part of your duty to maintain
it. Now in this, it is perfectly evident that you are not at all
obeying the Church to which you belong, but simply your own
choice. The Church has certainly appointed no such thing.
There is no such canon or rubric ; there has never been any such
custom in our Church ; scarcely half a dozen clergymen do it ;
and an obsolete rubric of the English Prayer Book is all your
authority for such an assertion. But you are gratified with the
custom. You think that it would have the happiest effects. You
believe it beneficial to the hearts of all. You wish to adopt it ;
and you are at liberty to adopt it ; but it is not true reverence to
call this an appointment of the Church, and reproach almost
every man amongst its clergy with a neglect of such an appoint-
ment. This, then, is my view of the whole matter of this exces-
sive, ritual spirit. It does not at all spring from respect for the
decisions of the Church, but is purely the result of inclination.
In some, it is a love of ceremonies ; in others, a repugnance to a
more inward religion ; in others, a thing of party ; in others, a
poetic fancy ; in others a love of antiquity, as such ; in others, a
fondness for novelty ; in others, a very pitiable wish to distin-
guish themselves ; in others, a mere matter of taste ; in you, as
far as it goes in you, a desire for mental repose, which persuades
you to lean too much upon any aid that offers itself, rather than
to meet the conflict of theological discussion. The actual system
of our Church as it stands in the liturgy and articles, and has
been illustrated by the doctrines of its great divines, and the
practice of its best members for three centuries, is quite fatal to
such a spirit.

I am not anxious to win you from the habit of submission
which you love to cultivate ; but I would direct it to its true
objects. And I would only beseech you to ask yourself, when
you are reflecting upon these subjects, whether, in the urgency
with which you dwell on outward observances, you are actually
submitting yourself to the will and authority of your Lord, and
the real requisition of the Church to which you belong, or to
something beside?

You may possibly ask, ' what would I have ?' I would have,
besides the performance of public prayers and the administration
and reception of the sacraments, private communion with God,
study of His word, holiness of heart, diligence in all relative
duties, real solicitude for the salvation of others, a willingness to
become all things to all men for this end, charity towards 'the
blessed company of all faithful people,' whether within or with-

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 197

out our portion of the Catholic Church, cultivation of all things
wherein there is any virtue or praise ; and before all a simple and
entire reliance upon the redeeming sacrifice of our Lord, and a
determination to ' preach the Gospel' and to know nothing as
the Gospel except ' Christ, and Him crucified.'
Believe me, ever, your affectionate friend,

George Burgess."

XXX.

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS.

The contribution following is from the pen of the Rev. Edward
Jessup, for some years a beloved Presbyter of the Diocese of
Maine, now Rector of the Church of the Redeemer, Brooklyn,
Long Island.

If it were required to define the point at which more than at
any other our Bishop adorned his office, that point would be
found to centre in his personal relations towards the clergy
whose lot and privilege it was to labor under his faithful over-
sight. He was eminent indeed in many other respects in which
his eminence was widely recognized. His extensive scholar-
ship, his varied culture, his refined poetic taste, his wisdom as
one of the counsellors of the Church, his deep and unaffected
piety, his rare meekness, his habitual self-poise, all contributed
to win for him a place among the most honored of his brethren
of the Episcopate. Of his fame in the walks of literature and as
one of the fathers in the Church, his clergy always cherished a
pardonable pride. Whenever they had occasion to announce
their relationship to him, they found that his name was an hon-
ored one in all portions of our communion. It was a sufficient
passport to all the best circles, existing within the Church, to be
introduced as belonging to Bishop Burgess. But to them were
far broader grounds of veneration and affection towards him
than any of those on which rested his general reputation. At-
tractive and imposing as his character appeared to those who
viewed it from a distance, few men could gain so much from

198 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

that closer inspection to which a bishop is of necessity subjected
in his intercourse with the clergy laboring under his supervision.
Here, at least, if there are weaknesses they cannot fail to be ap-
parent, and here the absence of weakness argues the presence
of an uncommon strength. Hence, in order to know Bishop
Burgess thoroughly, and to appreciate to their utmost his rare
qualifications for the position which he was called of God to fill,
it is necessary to contemplate him in his bearing as a chief
pastor towards the under shepherds of his flock. His was no
mere perfunctory discharge of the duties of episcopal oversight.
There was in his attitude towards his clergy no trace of the
manners of a feudal Bishop; nor could the most prejudiced
opponent of prelacy ever have charged upon him a disposition
to "lord it over God's heritage." He felt profoundly, it is
true, the grave responsibility attaching to that higher order of
the ministry which had been committed to his hands. Nor did
he ever lose sight of what was due from him as an ensample to
those who under him were intrusted with the care of Christ's
flock. In his most familiar intercourse with them, they felt that
his was the position of a father and theirs that of sons. Yet,
with all this paternal dignity on his part, there was blended a
certain brotherliness of manner, so to speak, which served to
temper any undue feelings of restraint that otherwise might have
existed. He placed himself upon the level of their sympathies
as one who entered fully into the comprehension of all priestly
cares and trials. His clergy never were permitted to feel that
his elevation to "the superior office and administration" had in any
wise alienated him from the duties falling to those who stood in
the inferior degrees. On the contrary, the instincts of the
priesthood were as fresh and strong in him as though to his
position there had been no superadded dignity. This doubt-
less may be explained in part by his possession in a high degree
of those pastoral tastes which are especially associated with the
office of the priesthood. His nature was eminently in harmony
with the line of life allotted to the parish minister. He loved
the position and the work of such a life, and would gladly have
spent his days in discharging the duties of its restricted round.

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 199

Then again this taste and sympathy for the pastoral vocation
had been kept alive by the necessity which compelled him, in
connection with the labors of his Episcopate, to hold the rector-
ship of a parish. In the poverty of his Diocese such an arrange-
ment seemed inevitable, but to him it was most welcome. It
was this which, perhaps, more than anything else, had reconciled
him to the painful sundering of those ties that bound him to the
parish he was called to leave when Maine chose him for her
Bishop. It used indeed to seem a pity that so valuable a life
should be so largely consumed with the petty details involved
in the care of a country congregation ; details in attending to
which from the first till, in the last year, his health had given
way, he had no clerical assistant. It was often painful to wit-
ness the distractions to which he was subjected by duties which
any deacon might properly have discharged. As, for example,
when, on one occasion well remembered by the writer, who
chanced at the time to be his guest, the death of a laborer's
infant took him a mile from home to administer consolation and
to arrange for the burial. The following day again a still larger
amount of time had to be devoted to attending the funeral of
the little one. So deeply was the writer impressed by "this
waste" that he could not refrain from expressing to the Bishop
his regrets at seeing him thus hampered. The reply was that
"he would not have it otherwise if he could; and that indeed
it was the prospect of being permitted to pass his days in these
parochial labors that had originally reconciled him to the
thought of becoming a bishop." Whatever may be said against
an arrangement of this nature, it has no doubt the advantage of
supplying a common tie between a bishop and his parochial
clergy. This community of interest and of experience with
their Bishop, was always felt by the clergy laboring in Maine, and
the more so that his parish was not, in its essential features,
widely different from the parishes of which most of them were
in charge. The peculiar drawbacks to successful effort in behalf
of church principles and usages, had to be encountered experi-
mentally by him as well as by themselves. Both he and they
were surrounded by the same atmosphere of religious j^rejudice.

200 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

and were hedged in by the same deeply-rooted antipathies of
religious doctrine. He knew how hard it was to overcome the
antagonisms of opinion prevailing in an unfriendly soil, and
could enter into the discouragements of those who with him
were struggling against the tide. Hence he threw his whole
heart into the trials and labors of his clergy. He watched their
course with the eye of active fraternal interest. Whatever was
encouraging in their work he observed and pointed out with
words of kindly cheer, and his indomitable patience supported
them when they were tempted to despondency. No one could
read the loving, considerate letters which, with surprising fre-
quency, he sent forth to his fellow-laborers at their several posts,
without being convinced of his profound and tender interest in
all that concerned both them and the flocks committed to their
care. Many of those letters were but brief, and were called
forth by some matter of business, but even these were seldom
closed without some line expressing kindly hopes or wishes or
congratulations, to stir the heart of the lonely toiler. Even in
his official communications there frequently would be inter-
spersed gems of beautiful sentiment or of wise reflection ; some-
times suggested by current events, sometimes by the reading
with which he chanced to be occupied, and more often by
something personal in the case of the one to whom he was writ-
ing, or by something connected with his field of labor.

A few extracts may well be inserted here as illustrative of this
feature of his correspondence with the clergy of the Diocese.
It may be added that it appears to have been a practice of the
Bishop to write many of these letters during the season of Lent,
when, we cannot doubt, his prayers and his meditations were
especially enlarged in behalf of his parishes and their pastors.

Gardiner, April 15, 1856.
"I rejoice to hear of your growing congregations, and
although the spiritual harvest be still but small, it will be yours
in due season, if you persevere in faith and patience. It is a

great thing to have led so far; others will follow. But

more of this when we meet. In the meantime, believe me,

Affectionately yours."

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 20T

"March 6, 1856. If ever, in the loneliness of celibacy, you
desire a day or two of clerical association and talk, come up
and spend a couple of nights with me. It will give me much
pleasure. I hear very favorable accounts of your congregation
in its aspect to the eye of a stranger. Wishing you all those
blessings which you most desire, for them and yourself, from
Him, whose love this season brings so powerfully before us,
I am

Your friend and brother."

The following note was written in acknowledgment of the
receipt, from one of his clergy, of an engraved portrait of
Keble, which the Bishop had previously expressed a strong de-
sire to procure, and which used afterwards to hang in full view
as he sat at his study table: —

Gardiner, February 9, 1857.

"My Dear Mr. : Your very welcome gift quite took me

by surprise. There are few things of the kind which I should
value so much ; and it will be still more pleasant from the asso-
ciation with your visit, so pleasant to us, and of your kind and
graceful manner of perpetuating the remembrance. I have just
returned from Lewiston, and took the earliest opportunity to
reply to your note ; but, on reflection, I suppose that you will
already be on your way to Massachusetts. It is better, however,
to send what I have written, as the date will indicate my wish,
and the delay will do no harm.

Mrs. Burgess sends her kind regards, and is much obliged
to you for the loan of the 'Owlet,' etc., which interests her
much.

Affectionately yours."

The next extract was written during the prevalence of a re-
markable religious excitement, which swept over considerable
portions of Maine in the earlier months of the year 1858. Brief
as the allusion is, it indicates with sufficient distinctness our
Bishop's steadfast sympathy with that calm and sober type of
religion which the Church's system developes and nourishes: —

"March 27, 1858. In the midst of all the movement aroimd
us, in which how much is indeed of God I do not say or see, I
trust that you find amongst your people something of the true

202 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

spirit of prayer. That the week of our blessed Redeemer's suf-
ferings may be kept by all of us with holy and contrite hearts,
is my heart's desire."

How plainly may be seen the throbbing heart of the faithful
and true shepherd in the concluding lines of yet another
letter: —

" Most heartily will I pray for God's blessing upon your con-
gregation through your labors in the ensuing season. Let them
not be excessive and exhausting; and I earnestly hope that they

will not be your last Lenten labors at . You will pray also

for me and for all our congregations ; and ' may the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the
Holy Ghost, be with us all!'

Affectionately yours."

In explanation of the next it will be enough to mention that
allusion is made in the opening portion to an approaching mar-
riage. Few men possess the art of introducing topics of that
kind so gracefully and with such delicate cordiality as did our
Bishop: —

"March 9, 1859. Your Lent services, I hope, will be attended
with such a blessing as may prepare the way both for a gladden-
ing confirmation, and for cheerful leisure at the other season to
which you are looking forward, and for which I ask every blessing

'Of heaven and earth beneath,
Of converse high, and sacred home,
Of bHssful life and death.'

I am reading Dr. Bushnell's book on 'Nature and the
Supernatural.' It is wonderfully able, and, in many points,
exceedingly valuable ; while some of his opinions are altogether
crude, and some will be mischievous. No other man living
could have written it; and if just one-half of it could have been
cut out, not only from the book, but from the mind of the
author, the other would have placed him with the foremost
Christian thinkers of any age.

Affectionately yours."

From the great difficulty experienced in efforts to obtain a
supply of clergymen for his vacant parishes, the Bishop not
unfrequently found himself surrounded by a class of laborers

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 203

young in years and in the ministry. Towards such his care was
tender and constant to a degree that never failed to win their
most devoted attachment. He used to interest himself in their
studies, maintain with them frequent correspondence, aid them
by occasional exchanges, oblige them by preaching in their
churches when they required temporary relief, and, if they were
unmarried, invite them to prolonged visits at his hospitable
home. Who, that was permitted thus to sit at his feet within the
charmed circle of his household life, can ever forget the privi-
lege? What hours of delightful communing upon topics whose
range was boundless, and whose variety innumerable ! How did
the mind of the youthful guest expand, as, day by day, and
night after night, its energies were put to the stretch to keep
pace with the movements of an intellect so ripe and so richly
stored. Many a clergyman, who subsequently went forth into
wider fields of usefulness, has felt that, under God, he owed
everything of success that he attained in his ministry to the
apprenticeship which he served under this wise master in Israel.
The testimony of one such may here be fittingly introduced: —

" I am very glad to learn that there is to be prepared a me-
moir of the Bishop. One of the greatest and best of the Bishops
of his time, he deserves that this should be done, and done well.
I have just been looking over the letters from him which I have.
They are nearly forty in number, but are mostly upon matters
of business. There is, however, much in them that illustrates
his fidelity, his deep interest in the weak parishes of his field,
his care in administering discipline, his wisdom in matters of
ecclesiastical business, his sympathy with his younger clergy,
his advice, seasonable at all times, as to when it is right for a
clergyman to leave one field for another, and also as to the im-
portance of his interesting himself in his people, even in matters
of local interest not ecclesiastical ; his sense of the difficulties of
such a field as Maine ; his resignation in view of constant losses
of promising clergy. I think I never reverenced any man so
highly as I did Bishop Burgess. I owe to him very much, and
thank God for what he was to me ; and he was the same to all
his clergy and people according to their needs."

The letters of the Bishop to these younger brethren abound
with examples both of his kindness of heart, and of that wise
fidelity which marked all his administration of the offtce of an

204 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

overseer in the Church. Often they were letters of advice, and,
in some instances, will be found to express his deliberate judg-
ment on subjects of interest and importance. Even when of a
less formal character, they never failed to contain wholesome
counsels, well calculated to supply both encouragement and in-
struction to an inexperienced pastor. Let a few of these com-
munications here bear witness for themselves: —

Gardiner, November 28, 1850.
"Reverend and Dear Brother: —

I am gratified with the little which, after a few days, you
were able to tell me of your prospects. There is, indeed, too
little to require any special reply from me; but I know that
sometimes a simple word of encouragement, sympathy, or coun-
sel, may have its value when one is, in a measure, alone.

Your plans appear to me judicious, and adapted to call out
more co-operation than any other. They indicate at the com-
mencement a perfect harmony between the venerable Rector at
St. Stephen and yourself, and seem likely to secure to you one
or two good congregations, without interfering with his services.
To you, individually, it will be a satisfaction that you will be at
liberty to receive the communion from time to time, which is
not always the case with deacons, who have the charge of con-
gregations.

You will, of course, find it necessary, and will have the time,
to devote much attention to the composition of sermons. I
recommend to you to make them addresses, as far as may be,
and instructive addresses; in other words, to have your congre-
gation always before your eye, with all their spiritual wants, and
to endeavor to fill your sermons with just that scriptural matter
which they need. Your manner will become more and more
animated and direct, as this sentiment and this effort become
more settled."

TO THE SAME.

January 29, 185 1.

"Thus far you have received all the encouragement which I
dared to anticipate, and more ; and if those who gather to you
should be, in great part, the poorer and more neglected, your
work is the more like that of Him who said, 'to the poor the
gospel is preached,' as a sign that the Messiah had indeed
come.

It will give me great pleasure, God willing, to visit Calais
and Eastport when the water communication shall be open, if it
should seem expedient. With regard to candidates for con-

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 205

firmatlon, allow me to say, that it almost invariably appears to
pastors, and especially to young pastors, that more will be ready
than the result proves to have been sufficiently instructed and
decided. A general survey of the ground almost always en-
courages hopes which are baffled when we come to direct appli-
cation. Many persons, too, who are more or less seriously
disposed, give at first hesitating replies, and are not, perhaps,
really able to come to a decision till the hour is close at hand,
and then they usually decide upon delay. It would be well, so
far as you present the subject, to do it with much distinctness,
and to seek that the candidates should, some time previously to
the administration, be fully settled in their minds; and, should
you thus begin, it would afterwards be easier to perpetuate the
custom. It would not much surprise me if some of your hopes
in this particular should be disappointed; although a different
feeling on the subject of confirmation may possibly exist there,
where the Church has been known to so many from infancy, and
where its usages are familiar, from that which is common in
other parts of the State. But when there shall be candidates for
confirmation, you may be sure that I shall rejoice to make the
journey."

TO THE SAME.

"The question whether the church shall be free or not, is, of
course, entirely one of expediency, and that expediency is very
much to be tested by the willingness of different persons to con-
tribute either for the one or the other. Considering what are
the circumstances of many of your parishioners, I should regret
to see the plan adopted of selling the pews permanently; for it
seems to me that it would be difficult to procure the funds for
building so expensive a church, as the few who could pay libe-
rally for pews might demand, while the many who could not
purchase at all would be, to a great extent, excluded. On the
other hand, a church absolutely free, in such a sense that there
is no appropriation of seats, has very seldom been found to suc-
ceed, and would, I think, be plainly inexpedient in the face of
any strong feeling of individuals. But a church would, in
another sense, be free, if the pews were not permanently owned,
but rented for the support of public worship from year to year.
Then, too, such might be reserved without any payment, as
would be required for the poorest, or for strangers and transient
dwellers. Possibly some such plan may meet the views of all,
and be free from the anticipated evils."

In his decision upon points submitted by the clergy to his
official judgment, the Bishop exhibited all the qualities of a wise

2o6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

and conscientious interpreter of the Church's laws and usages.
Cahii, cautious, deliberate, and prudent, he gave to every such
question, as it came before him, that thorough attention and
careful weighing of its bearings, both near and remote, which
are the proper marks of the safe and upright judge. On one
most important question, the difficulties of which have weighed
on many minds among our parish ministers, we are able to pro-
duce his valuable opinion. It was given to one of his clergy
who had written to him to know whether he ought to debar from
the Holy Communion, a person who, being divorced for other
than scriptural reasons, had contracted a second marriage: —

"On the law of the case I ought, it would seem, to be pre-
pared to pronounce ; and yet I feel, in a matter of such gravity,
the necessity of some deliberation. I do not know whether the
question has been practically raised before. It is not exactly
the same with that of the right to enter into or to solemnize such
marriages. If it were but doubtful whether they were lawful to
a Christian, that would be a sufficient reason for prohibiting
them. But then, if it were doubtful only, a person who had
contracted such a marriage should have the benefit of that doubt,
when his right to come to the Lord's table was in question.
The rejection can only be justified on the ground that the mar-
riage is actually adulterous ; and then it must continue as long
at least as the marriage continues; and no repentance would
suffice, unless the parties were separated. This is a strong
ground to be held towards marriages pronounced legal by the
laws of the land, and contracted by many persons without suspi-
cion of their unlawfulness before God. I am not at all sure that
we must not take that ground, but, before doing it officially, I
should wish time for reflection and consultation. You might act
in a single case, and acquit your conscience. But if I pronounce
an opinion, it is stating a principle which must be supposed to
be the same throughout the Church, and which involves vast
consequences, ecclesiastical, social, and possibly civil."

The same conservative prudence appears in another instance
which may properly be given here. A clergyman had consulted
him as to the propriety of accommodating his Lent services to
the greater profit of his congregation, by making certain portions
of the morning service available at night; and also had sought
permission to substitute special lessons in the place of those set

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 207

forth in the daily calendar, where the latter might appear to be
ill-suited to the spirit of the season. The former part of this
request will be readily appreciated by such as have had expe-
rience, in parishes where there were few persons of leisure, of the
extreme difficulty of bringing the people to attend church on a
week-day, except in the evening: —

Gardiner, February 15, 1858.

"In reply to your questions, I see no objection to the use of
the Litany at an evening service. I use it in Lent after the lec-
ture and Evening Prayer, but should freely sanction its use, if
you prefer it, at the same place as in the morning service.

Just as little is the use of the Ante-Communion objectiona-
ble in the way which you propose. I have much more hesita-
tion with regard to the Lessons. These services do not appear
to me to be 'extraordinary' or 'special.' It is the regular per-
formance of Morning or Evening Prayer; and though I shall by
no means condemn your course, if they should be construed by
you as 'special,' I do not think that I have authority to super-
sede the prescribed Lessons, and should fear lest the precedent
should be pushed to a mischievous length. In an extreme case,
discretion may possibly assume the form of necessity; but in
ordinary instances, I cannot see that the Church has authorized
deviations." ....

Any clergyman whose lot it was to hold a parish in the Diocese
of Maine in Bishop Burgess' day, must remember well the inte-
rest which he always manifested in making arrangements for the
various services to be held at the periodical assembling of the
Board of Missions. On such occasions it was his practice to
confer, beforehand, with the minister of the parish in which the
meeting was to take place; and, with a delicate courtesy for
which he was remarkable, in great measure to adopt as his own
ordering, such a course as the latter might suggest. In this it
was his aim to promote such measures as might best serve the
profit of the people among which the Board was to hold its
sessions, upon the ground that every pastor was the best judge
in matters relating to his own immediate flock.

During the course of his episcopate he must have written many
letters in anticipation of these meetings, of which one or two
may be inserted here by way of illustration : —

20 8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Gardiner, December 29, 1856.

"I very much like your proposed arrangements, and have no
change to suggest. Whether I shall be there on Tuesday even-
ing may depend on some pastoral duties; but I shall rejoice to
be if I can.

As a subject for remark on Wednesday morning I would
suggest, 'the joy and duty of bringing others into the fellow-
ship which is assured to us by the Lord's Supper.'

The Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, are those for the Epiphany
itself; if, therefore, you have no service on Tuesday morning,
you will, between that on Tuesday evening and that on Wednes-
day morning, with the first lesson on Christmas eve, have had
the full Epiphany service.

There is no kind of objection that the missionary collection
should be the offertory; and, under the circumstances, this is
doubtless best.

Hoping that the blessing of the Holy Ghost may be with us
and with your people at the approaching meeting, I remain,

Affectionately yours."

Gardiner, April 4, 1S58.
"I am quite satisfied with your proposed arrangements, with
one or two exceptions. Would it not be better, as we have the
opportunity, to have the confirmation in the daytime? I always
prefer it, unless there are strong reasons to the contrary.

I wish that you would choose and invite the preachers;
only not always selecting those who may be likely to be most
attractive. That, in the end, is unjust to our brethren.

You are aware that our most distressing fears for have

been fulfilled. We have to gather up all our strength, and to
seek fresh strength from God's grace, in order to sustain this
shock. Think especially of his absent family in your petitions.

I am, my dear Mr. ,

Affectionately yours."

The missionary interests of his Diocese was a subject that ap-
peared to press continually on the Bishop's thoughts, and that
was often alluded to both in his interviews and in his corres-
pondence with the clergy. No man could be more profoundly
impressed by the religious destitution of the vast field committed
to his care. None could be more watchful for opportunities
and means of lessening that destitution. For himself he spared
no labor and no discomfort, in order to provide the services of
the Church for such of the waste places as were within his reach.

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 209

To the same end he was fertile in devising methods whereby to
utilize the energies of his clergy, and the assistance of occasional
visitors who, in the summer months, might come to Maine for
recreation. Many of his letters were written in pursuance of
arrangements for this sort of desultory missionary enterprise,
showing at once his zeal for the extension of the Church, and
his ingenuity in making the most effectual use of every casual
help to that end. Thus, in one case, we find in a letter to one
of his clergy words like these: —

"I will write to Mr. , and encourage any interest which

he may feel in Waterville. It is our duty, I think, to make an
effort there, for the Church is much needed, though it may not
be welcome."

And in another letter to the same clergyman we find a yet
fuller illustration of this characteristic feature of his labors: —

Gardiner, August 17, 1857.

"My Dear Mr. . I am much obliged to you for your

kind offer, and to Mr. Bronson for his readiness to act as your
substitute. Yesterday I was at Brunswick, Mr. Bartlet, of Chel-
sea, being here. Had I received your letter on Friday, perhaps
I should have desired that service of you ; but it is better as it
is. ... I may possibly desire you to spend a Sunday at
Searsport ; or at Camden, to enable Mr. Slattery to be at Sears-
port; but I wrote to him on Saturday, and should I hear from
him that such a visit on his part, or on yours, would be desir-
able, I will inform you. If the services of the Church can be
held, either by you or by me, at Waterville, on a Sunday, I
shall rejoice. Of course, any expenses incurred by you must be
paid by our Board.

It is a little unfortunate, perhaps, that our clerical visitors,
who this season are numerous, should all have waited till my
visitations were over, and till our new deacons were in the field.
However, their help is welcome still, and we are much indebted
to them. Affectionately,

Your friend and brother."

In like manner this which follows reveals his readiness to act
as the chief missionary on the frontier of the field committed to
his care: —
14

2IO MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Gardiner, May 7, 1859.
''My Dear Mr. Durell: —

I had planned a visit to Houlton on this wise. You observe
that my appointment at Oldtown is for Wednesday, the 15th of
June. I had purposed to set out on the next day for Houlton,
having obtained from you an introduction to the Rev. Mr. Street,
of Woodstock, in the See of Fredericton, unless you would be
able to meet me there, which would be much better. Then, if
there could be a previous appointment, which I hoped to have
made through you and Mr. Street, I could preach at Houlton
on Sunday, the 19th; if not, at Woodstock. There would be
time for some observation of the Aroostook country; and I, or
we, could, according to the amount of time, come down directly,
or by the way of St. John, so as to be at Calais on the following
Sunday. Consider this arrangement, and if it strikes you favor-
ably, see whether you can be spared from home on the 19th for
the sake of this missionary service. If you can, I will leave
all details at Houlton in your hands, and will provide for your
expenses. If you cannot, will you have the goodness to write to
Mr. Street and learn from him whether it would be practicable
for me to hold services on that day at Houlton?

I hope that the terrible disease, of which you speak as pre-
vailing around you, may not come nigh your dwelling, and may
soon be mercifully withdrawn.

With very kind regards to Mrs. Durell, I am

Affectionately yours."

Respecting the visit thus planned, Mr. Durell writes: —

"I had previously visited Houlton at the Bishop's suggestion,
held services, baptized a number of children, and visited the
homes of many church people who had but recently removed to
that growing place. The bare intimation of a wish on the part
of such a Bishop was always quite sufficient with all his clergy
to cause them to render an immediate and hearty compliance."
"The Rev. Mr. Street, Rector of Woodstock, N. B., kindly met
the Bishop at Houlton. He, with my assistance, conducted the
services, which were held in the Congregationalist Meeting
House, and the Bishop preached morning and afternoon. At
the morning service the Bishop baptized a child of a woman
who, apparently, could not read ; and, instead of permitting her,
as sponsor, simply to assent to the several questions, he paused a
moment, and then said, ' Say after me, I renounce them all,' &c."

A year later we find the Bishop preparing to revisit this remote
outpost of his Diocese and of the whole American Church; a

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 2ii

place which he afterwards had the satisfaction of seeing furnish
another to his not extended list of parishes.

Gardiner, May 17, i860.
*'My Dear Mr. Durell: —

I must rely on you, I believe, to communicate with our friends
at Houlton, so far as may be necessary to prepare for my visit
on the loth of June. If the modes of conveyance allow it, I
should wish to go up from Calais, so as to be at Houlton on Fri-
day, and to spend Saturday there. Should there be any persons
desirous to be confirmed, of whom I could obtain information,
this would afford an opportunity for seeing them on Saturday,
and also for any interview which might be desirable with those
who may be disposed to organize a parish. From your know-
ledge of the place and people, you can do all much better than
I could through any direct correspondence.

*******

Give my kindest regards to Mrs. Durell. I sympathize with
your anxiety for the little boy. But all things are possible with
God, and in every event His Fatherly hand is over the child
more tenderly even than yours.

Affectionately yours."

The closing sentences of the last letter will revive, for those
who have ever labored under Bishop Burgess, some of the most
endearing recollections of this departed Father. In him his
clergy never failed to find, not only an adviser and director of
their labors, but a friend, whose most tender and delicate sym-
pathy followed them in all the trials of their private or domestic
history. No doubt the fewness of their number, and the diffi-
culty of obtaining accessions to the little band, had much to do
with adding, to his official interest in their career, the strength
of a warm personal attachment to them and to their households.
How truly "in all their afflictions he was afflicted," they best
can testify who, in the darker passages of their experience, have
been comforted by his sweet and gentle and holy expressions
of paternal thoughtfulness and love. Some of his letters, which
were called forth by occasions of this nature, will rank among
the most exquisite specimens of religious consolation to be met
with anywhere in this department of literature. One series of
this description will be inserted here, prefaced by an explana-

212 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

tory note from the Rev. Mr. D , to whom the letters were

addressed. He says: —

''While staying at our house on the occasion of his annual
visit (July, 1857), our little boy, George Burgess, became so ill
as to cause us great alarm and distress. No words can possibly
express the kindness and hearty sympathy he exhibited. Very
little was said by him, but every look and motion declared
plainly what he felt; nor can we ever forget that midnight prayer
offered in our behalf. Within a few days, Joseph, the son next
older, fell sick and died ; and within five weeks our only re-
maining boy. Burgess, followed him to his eternal home. These
precious letters came to help us bear the dreadful load."

Gardiner, July 11, 1857.

"My Dear Mr. D :—

Your several letters have found me in the midst of such a
pressure in closing up my visitations, and in attendance at the
Convention, that I could not reply till this moment. They have
filled me with grief in which all our brethren participated. I
infer from them that you probably do not cherish any hope of
the restoration of the dear little child ; and that, with the sight
of his suffering, and the certainty of such an issue, it is hard for
you even to bear the pain of waiting. I can only pray that you
may have a strength which is not your own. You are but holding
in your arms a very little while an heir of heaven. That which
you see with so much distress, will soon be past, and past forever.
In his infant innocence, he knows little of true suffering; and
you are sure that, as one of the lambs of the Lord Jesus, he is
resting at all times under the tenderest care of the Good Shep-
herd. 'A little while, and you see him no more, and again a
little while, and you shall see him,' if you but abide in meek
patience and in humble faith."

Gardiner, July 14, 1857.

"My Dear Mr. D :—

Your telegraphic message has just come, with its most unex-
pected announcement. I had all along thought that if it pleased
God to take the little one, his brother appeared a child of so
much promise, that you would have a world of comfort left.
He attracted me exceedingly by his sweet, thoughtful, quiet ways,
as he went about, talking to himself. But his heavenly Father
knew what was best. I can say no more ; and I say it with a
heart that bleeds with yours. You are called to the tenderest of
all human trials, not the most overwhelming. No ; in all your
anguish and tears, you know that there are some a thousand
times more severe than this of yielding up to God the heirs of

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 213

the kingdom of heaven, sure of their inheritance. The God who
chastens knows how to sustain and to heal. I can but commend

you to His loving kindness, praying that you and dear Mrs. D

may find it to be more precious than life. 'The Lord lift up
His countenance upon you, and give you peace!' May heaven
seem open before your eyes while you think of your dear little
ones, united there, as they may be before you read this letter;
and may every thought of them be like the voice of an angel,
summoning you to be faithful, and attain the crown of life !

It has occurred to me that you might be glad to have relief
from your Sunday duties and from all anxiety about them, and I
propose to request Mr. Spaulding to come and spend two Sun-
days with you ; but it is not quite certain whether this can be
accomplished. If it can, you may expect him; and his expenses
will be paid, in going and coming.

With the deepest sympathy for yourself and your afflicted wife,
I am Your affectionate brother."

Gardiner, July 28, 1857.
''My Dear Brother: —

Your most touching letters, giving me fuller information of
little Joseph's illness, and of the later condition of the baby,
reached me soon after I had written to you in explanation of the
non-arrival of Mr. Spaulding. I have sympathized with you in
all your parental sorrow and anxiety; and I do rejoice that you
have been enabled to submit yourselves so meekly to the will of
our Father in heaven. These are the things which we know not
now, but shall know hereafter. But even now, how wonderfully
does the abode of that departed little one with the Lord, draw
up and anchor there your best affections ! He is gone before
you, and the desire of your hearts is to follow him and all the
saints. You will find great comfort in the discharge of your pas-
toral duties; and probably, when you visit the sick and afflicted,
your experience will prepare you to speak more from the heart
and to the heart. But it is still only a sure trust in God, and
a bright hope of heaven, that will make the time of trouble a
season of rejoicing, of holy rejoicing, though not the less of tears.

I hope that Mrs. D has not sustained any serious loss of

health through anxiety and grief. The sympathy of your friends
at Calais and St. Stephen's, which I am sure you must have found
abundantly, has been no doubt a great solace; and, after a time,
the consciousness of spiritual fruit from the valley of affliction
will mingle itself soothingly with the tenderness of the recent
wound."

214 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Gardiner, August 25, 1857.
"My Dear Mr. D :—

I need not say with what sympathy I have read your letter,
which was my first information of your final bereavement. That
it was at last less distressing by far than it would previously have
been, I can well believe ; as, after such peculiar sufferings, he
must have seemed to you more like one detained from his rest
than a candidate for earthly happiness.

But words of comfort are now, perhaps, hardly in their place;
when exhausted by the long pressure of such anxieties and grief,
you need rather to have your thoughts drawn, if it be possible,
into a different channel. You will dwell enough, and possibly
but too much, on your departed ones, only with tenderness and
hope, and firm reliance on the kind love of God to them and
you."

There was one feature in the administration of the departed
Bishop which must by no means be overlooked in this record :
his exceeding fairness and impartiality towards all his clergy, to
whatever school of theology they might belong, or whatever
methods they might choose to adopt in their respective cures.
With him, the whole was of far more consequence than a part;
the Church, than any mere party within it. The natural amia-
bility of his disposition, enhanced and purified by the influence
of a religion whose foremost grace is charity, caused him to
shrink with peculiar repugnance from every form of ecclesias-
tical partisanship. His instincts were all conservative. He em-
braced goodness on whichever side of any given line it might
be found. It mattered little in his eyes, by what particular phase
of churchmanship a man might be distinguished, if only he were
earnest, devout, wholly given up to the Master's service in that
Church which is the Lord's body. In looking abroad for labor-
ers in his Diocese, this was a question which it was never his
practice to raise. He welcomed all that he could obtain, with
a cordial and Christian welcome that took no note of party ante-
cedents. Hence his Diocese was always at peace within itself.
Good and honest men were there, content to waive their differ-
ences of opinion, and to work side by side in love, all alike at
least in their veneration for their beloved leader.

"Before I entered the Diocese of Maine," writes one of its
former clergy, "I became acquainted with clergymen who had

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 215

resided there, and I observed, that widely as they differed from
each other, and some of them from the Bishop also, they were
united in the strongest affection for him personally. This seemed
to me a clear proof of extraordinary power, or goodness, or
both. My own experience afterwards, fully bore out this con-
clusion. The Bishop's presence impressed me always, as that
of one who had perfectly united the ' suaviter in modo et fortiter
in re.^ To hold decided views in regard to the Church and the
State, to express those views clearly and strongly, and yet to
claim the highest esteem, and the strongest friendship of Repub-
licans and Democrats, High Churchmen and Low Churchmen,
argues the most exalted personal qualities."

And in a similar strain, we have the witness of still another of
his clergy, who thus writes respecting him : —

" Of the utmost firmness in principle himself, he could always
respect the principles of others, and the respectful manner in
which he uniformly treated those who were known to hold views
that were different from his own, not only tended to prevent the
adoption of anything like extremes, either in doctrine or usage,
in his Diocese, but also secured that remarkable deference to
his opinions on the part of the clergy, which they delighted
to show in the most marked and public manner. A prominent
layman of a Southern Diocese once said to me, ' It is worth a
journey to Maine, to see the affectionate reverence in the bear-
ing and speech of the clergy to their Bishop. No-one need be
told how truly they love him.' "

And he on his part was careful never to depart from a course
that led to such a hold on the confidence and affection of his
clergy. Towards any variation of taste or of opinion that might
exist between himself and them, he always exercised the utmost
indulgence, forbearing to call the difference needlessly into view.
Especially, in his intercourse with the parishes, did he scrupu-
lously avoid drawing the attention of the people to anything that
might be, in the sentiments or usages of their rectors, not alto-
gether in accord with preferences of his own. He recognized
to the fullest extent, the truth that every man, worthy of man-
hood, must be himself, if he would be successful, and must be left
to work in his own way and to carry out his own choices. Hence
under his supervision, the parishes of Maine by no means pre-
sented to the eye a rigid external uniformity of usage. Some
Churches had a more elaborate, and some a plainer service : in

2 1 6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP B UR GESS.

some there was to be found a Credence-table, while in others
it was wanting : in some the Saints' days were kept with
public services, and in others they were not. These were
details which the Bishop wisely left to be settled by each minis-
ter, at his own discretion, never in any case coming between him
and his flock, to cast a shadow over their confidence in his judg-
ment. Rarely, indeed, did an occasion arise that seemed to him
sufificient to call for his interposition, and then a hint, privately
and mildly spoken, was all that was needed. The same absence
of a party spirit marked the Conventions of the Diocese, in
which the common purpose of Bishop, Clergy, and Laity always
appeared to centre in the prosperity and extension of the Church
which they all loved alike. In those solemn councils, he held
the scales of his official influence with a hand that never inclined
to the one side or to the other, of the strictest line of impartial-
ity. Votes there might be which he would have chosen should
be otherwise than what they were, but he never sought to shape
them by any exercise of the advantages adhering to his position.
But on this whole matter of his relation to Church parties, let
his own written declarations speak for him. The single letter
which is here subjoined, will be found fully to bear out all that
has been said above.

Gardiner, July i6, 1856.

"My Dear Mr. : After all Mr. S. did not come, so that

I lost your visit without compensation.

On the chief subject of your letter, I could indeed write all
which I should say in conversation ; but it may well be with less
minuteness.

The exercise of the right of voting, under the Constitution of
the Church, is something over which I am disposed to exercise
no influence. When the result appears, I may, in some cases
feel regret, as I certainly do in this case, not at the election of
any one, but at the non-election of another.

I do not look at this as any party arrangement. It seems to
me to be almost purely the result of a private repugnance, which

only makes the issue more painful It is not for me to

blame the Convention. But, for myself and for the interests of

the Diocese, I would rather that Mr. should have been

chosen, with any other three of the clergy, than that any four
should have been chosen without him. So little has the matter
to do with party, except as to its possible interpretation elsewhere.

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 217

With regard to the vague term 'sympathies,' I have no par-
ticular fears. The same freedom which I always exercised as a
Presbyter, I gladly accord as a Bishop. With every true mem-
ber of the Church, High or Low, I have, I am sure, sympathies
enough. Unless you and I should quite accord, through the
force of reflection and conscience, I should never wish, either to
deprive you of any just influence, or to induce you to submit,
unless in some peculiar matter of plain duty, your judgment to
mine. References to private conversations, and reports of what
one has said, I utterly dislike ; and I very much regretted any
such allusions at the Convention. That we shall have some ad-
ditional difficuUies in maintaining 'godly union and concord,'
I dm prepared to believe; but I trust that, through God's help,
none of the clergy will ever find in me any other spirit than
that of a true friend and brother.

I am, my dear Mr. ,

Affectionately yours."

Allusion has already been made, in an earlier portion of this
Section, to the influence of the Bishop's position as the Rector
of a parish on his bearing towards the clergy of the Diocese.
It was doubdess this that imparted to their mutual intercourse
much of that fraternal and oftentimes confidential character
which made it so delightful to labor under his care. He was
fond, in a certain sense, of laying aside the superiority of Order
that raised him above them, and of meeting them upon the level
of their common pastoral responsibilities. Nothing seemed to
delight him more than to confer with them concerning the details
of parochial work; on the hindrances to ministerial success that
were peculiar to Maine; on the encouragements and the dis-
couragements occurring in their experience; on the subjects of
preaching in which they might at any time be particularly inter-
ested ; and on any special experiments they might have under-
taken or contemplated in the administration of their cures. Nor
was he less ready to adopt hints from their experience than he
was to impart to them the benefits of his own. Sometimes he
would afterwards recall the subject of an interview of this sort,
and mention that he had been acting on an idea which had then
been imparted to him. Perhaps he would have written a sermon
on some text, the treatment of which by the younger clergyman
had impressed itself upon his mind. Or he might have adopted

2 1 8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP B UR CESS.

in his own parish some detail that had pleased him in the parish
of the other. The writer remembers instances of both these
kinds. It was no doubt with a view to keeping himself thus in
the closest sympathy with his clergy, that he pursued the prac-
tice of making with them frequent informal exchanges. In ad-
dition to his official visitations, he liked to go to their parishes
unheralded, like any brother rector, and have them in the same
way come to his own church at Gardiner. The congregations
delighted in these exchanges, which brought their Bishop before
them in an unofficial light; in which he appeared, not as the
ruler of the flock, but simply as the meek and reverend dis-
penser of God's word. His practice in this particular will suffi-
ciently appear from a single letter which is but one of an almost
countless number that he must have written to the same effect.

Gardiner, Nov. 22, 1855.

' ' My Dear Mr. : If you would like an exchange for next

Sunday with this late notice, and will write to me by to-morrow's
mail or that of Saturday morning, I shall be happy to enter into
such an arrangement. I would have earlier suggested it, had I
not had one in view first with Mr. Gardiner, who was likely to
have been here this week, but did not come, and afterwards with
Mr. Chadwell, who prefers a fortnight later. Knowing, how-
ever, that you have recently been absent, I hope that you will
defer it, if you should think a little later day more desirable ; as
I have no reason for choosing next Sunday, except that I have
now been at home for several weeks, and like to be in the dif-
ferent parishes, by way of exchange, when I can, without bring-
ing my absences from home too near each other. It is not of
the slightest consequence, in this case, and therefore, if on any
ground whatever you would rather be at home next Sunday, I
will name some other occasion.

I am, very affectionately,

Your friend and brother."

One of the most constant trials that the Bishop had to encounter,
throughout the entire course of his episcopate, arose out of the
extreme difficulty of keeping his field supplied with laborers.
In a diocese numbering so few church families, of course there
could be but a few candidates for Holy Orders ; and even these,
trained usually in distant seminaries, were apt to adopt preferences
for other spheres of ministerial labor. The remoteness of Maine

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 219

from the great centres of our national life; its isolation, by
reason of not being included in any of the great lines of travel ;
the rigor of its climate during the long winters ; the fewness of
the parishes, together with their general poverty, and the utter
inadequacy of the salaries that most of them could afford ; these
were the disadvantages against which our faithful Bishop had to
maintain an unceasing struggle. His Clergy were continually
vacating their parishes, and leaving the Diocese for more inviting
fields. Not that they were insensible to the charm of being with
such a Bishop ; for often they remained, for his sake alone, when
but for him they would have made a speedier departure. But
the health of some ; the claims of a growing family in the case
of others ; the importunity of kindred living at a distance, in
the case of others still; all combined to keep his clergy list
constantly depleted. A man less stout-hearted would have sunk
under such a burden of discouragement: he bore it meekly and
valiantly as the cross that had been laid upon him by his Lord,
How largely it added to his labors may well be conceived. The
mere correspondence entailed upon him by this cause alone was
immense. The filling of the vacant rectorships was a matter in
which he always interested himself to the utmost, and to effect
which he spared no pains. Particularly careful was he to con-
sult the special necessities of each parish that might be without
a minister, that "the right man might be found for the right
place." Thus he writes on one occasion to the Rev. Mr. (now
Bishop) Armitage : —

May 23d, 1856.

"You have much obliged me by mentioning Mr. . I

should be glad to know farther, any particulars as to his character
of mind, his age, his knowledge of men, or tact in intercourse
with them, his habits — whether studious or active, his manners
— whether easy and social, or distant and reserved, his mode of
delivery — whether quiet or animated, and his expectations —
whether easily satisfied or more elevated. Can you give me
some idea on these points ; as it might depend on some of them,
whether he would be adapted to one place rather than another,
or whether, indeed, any situation which could be offered him
here would be acceptable. We could certainly, I think, find
him employment, if it be sufficiently suited to his views and
qualities."

2 20 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

To a clergyman whom he had never seen, and who had
received an invitation to accept a vacant rectorship in Maine,
he writes in terms which evince at once his thorough compre-
hension of the case, and his earnest solicitude for the welfare of
the shepherdless flock.

Gardiner, April 19th, 1855.
"Reverend and Dear Sir: —

I cannot but express the hope that, on the most serious and
devout reflection upon the subject, viewed from all sides, you
will be able to arrive at a conclusion favorable to the wishes of
our friends at . On the two points which you have sug-
gested as doubtful, I ought to offer one or two considerations,
founded upon my knowledge of the circumstances.

The question of the probable capabilities and dangers of your
physical constitution, a stranger, of course, could not decide.
I must say, however, that I know no reason for supposing the
climate of this region to be more unfavorable to any class of
constitutions, than that of Massachusetts. We who live in the
interior regard our cold winters as bracing and invigorating. I
was never half as free from liability to colds as since I have
lived in Maine. With a person who is decidedly enfeebled, it
may be that the seacoast, with a bleak exposure, may involve
something beyond the average degree of risk ; but I think that
only in cases of marked delicacy can the difference between one
part of New England and another be very serious.

The features to which you allude in the congregation at ,

though I wish that they were otherwise, are not discouraging.
They really love the Church ; several of the gentlemen have
considerable depth of feeling in connection with the great truths
of the Gospel, and will, I am confident, under judicious pastoral
faithfulness, shortly become communicants ; and the worldliness
apparent in their mode of regarding the interests of the parish is
in great part the result of the general spirit of enterprise, sur-
rounded by which they live. The steady force of well-directed,
faithful labor will work upon such a community, much more
than mere attractiveness of style and elocution, desirable as
these may doubtless be. And, satisfied as they now are, you
need not fear, I think, any special fickleness of mind.

I am truly anxious to see them well and soon supplied ; and
therefore I need make no apology for these suggestions. Be-
lieve me, with the hope that you may be there the instrument of
winning many souls,

Your brother in Christ."

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 221

The same ever-recurring sense of embarrassment, from fre-
quent clerical removals, appears again in a letter addressed to
one who had himself gone to another Diocese, but who, none
the less, continued to cherish a warm personal regard for the
Bishop, and a lively interest in the fortunes of the Church in

Maine. •

Gardiner, May 21, 1861.

"My Dear Mr. : I am much obliged to you for your

letter respecting Mr. C . I cannot now say, but I have en-
closed it to Bath, and will hold it in remembrance, should an-
other opening be offered, which I think not improbable within
a short space. We are indeed suffering through these changes,
occurring, as they do, at the same time with our national shock.
But the one, like the other, I have good hope, will end in the
triumph of all that is best, 'the advancement of God's glory,
the good of His Church, the safety, honor, and welfare of His
people. '

Mrs. Burgess sends her kindest regards with mine to Mrs. ,

and we do not forget your little one.

Affectionately yours."

That it should have been painful, and even difficult, to sunder
the ties that bound one to such a Bishop, cannot well be doubted.
It was seldom done without an earnest struggle, in which he, on
his part, left no resource of persuasion untried. He clung to his
clergy with a tenacity which it was indeed hard to overcome, and
no faithful minister could pass from under his oversight, without
feeling that the separation was to him unwelcome and distressing.
The letters written by him to clergymen who were about to leave
him, present his character in a most amiable light. Gentle,
frank, large-hearted, and touching but lightly on the hardship
to himself, involved in the lessening of his scant supply of
fellow-helpers, these communications were oftentimes truly affect-
ing, and infused into the act of taking leave of him a feeling
of most sincere regret. How likely this was to be the case
may be judged from the letters given below.

Calais, June 27, 1859.

"My Dear Mr. : Your letter of the 22d has been for-
warded to me here. I am just setting out on my return, but as
it is to be by the way of Boston and Hartford, I must not wait
so long without sending you some brief reply.

222 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

You know well that your letter could not but cause me more
regret than surprise, after our late conversations. If you have
already decided, and communicated your decision, I can but
express this regret, which is most sincere and cordial. Not only
have our relations been such as I would always desire with the
Rector of each Parish, but our frequent intercourse has nourished
.on my part an affectionate esteem, a deep conviction of your
pastoral zeal and fidelity, and a confidence in your successful
exercise of your ministry, already followed by a great blessing.

Eastport, II A.M.

I must finish my letter rapidly here.

If you have not fully decided as yet, I hope you may still con-
sider the question, whether the pecuniary motive is so absolute.
Several of our clergy, with families, have lived respectably on
smaller salaries, in places nearly or quite as expensive. I think
your estimate of household expenses excessive, founded as it is
on the price of board.

Your success at B , in building up such a Parish, I will

not doubt ; but it is toilsome, and there are many contingencies.

I earnestly pray that your decision may be so guided that it
may be most for your happiness and the benefit of Christ's
kingdom. To these considerations all else must yield. But I
should part from yoju, if it must be, with a sorrow which I
would do much to spare myself.

Affectionately yours."

The two remaining letters under this head were addressed to
the Rev. Mr. Durell ; the first in view of his contemplated
resignation of his cure, and the other after he had communicated
to the Bishop his decision to remain.

Gardiner, Sept. 17, i860.

"My Dear Mr. Durell: Had I known your intention, I
could perhaps have said something to induce a little delay of the
step which you have taken, not perhaps on your account, but on
that of our poor Eastern border. Anxious for Houlton ; dis-
tressed, I might almost say, for Eastport, I do feel that, with
Calais left also at this moment, I must look with more single-
hearted earnestness than ever to the Lord of the harvest, while
I fail not to employ all means to bring laborers to our aid.

But it is now too late, and action so deliberate on your part
could hardly be reconsidered; unless, of which I entertain, on
re-reading your letter, some faint hope, it may have proved that
the arrears could be and were made up without delay. Suppos-
ing, however, as I must, that this has not hindered your purpose.

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS. 223

and that the tie is to be sundered, I must still ask, Is not this too
sudden? Is it quite right to leave with a fortnight's notice, a
parish which, from its remoteness, it must be so difficult to
supply? I do not know whether you have any invitation in your
hands, which demands so immediate acceptance; but if not, I
beg to suggest a sufficient postponement of your departure to
allow of some measures for the choice of a successor. Why
not till the middle or close of November? If you know any
one with whom you would like to leave the parish, knowing it as
you do, let me know, or draw the attention of the Vestry to
him. I shall urge every inquiry in every quarter "

Gardiner, September 25, i860.

" My Dear Mr. Durell: Your letter, as you are well assured,
lifted a great weight from my mind ; and I am deeply grateful
for all the personal feelings towards myself, which have entered
into your decision. Those feelings indeed must not govern ;
but I trust that they are not those of mere regard for me, but of
participation in the burden of responsibility and of care for the
Church which is imposed upon me. You bear it with me ; and
at your post, are much more towards the Church in general,
than many a Rector in parishes of far greater wealth and num-
bers.

I am most devoutly thankful that you can remain, and quite
willing that you should make me responsible for it as far as you
can and will. And now we must endeavor so to bind the tie,
that it may not be subject to these painful shocks. Of course,
we should all rejoice, could the Parish of St. Anne's be entirely
independent ; but we must not urge it beyond its real ability,
and it would be much better for the Diocese to contribute freely
towards sustaining you there, than to suffer the loss of your aid,
and still have to contribute equally in order to obtain a compe-
tent successor, with uncertain results.

I would not urge any specific plan ; still less, relieve your
own people at Calais from any just and reasonable charge : but
I am very anxious that you should not be exposed to anxiety,
and to the painful excitement of feelings on each side.

Am I asking too much, also, if I propose that, should the
subject of a removal be brought pressingly before you in any
way, you will communicate with me before presenting it to your
people ? I would not oppose any course which seemed either
necessary or greatly for your interest ; and any step in either di-
rection, taken after such consultation, would be attended with
greater satisfaction of mind ; while in some instances, difficulties
might really be removed.

224 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

To-morrow our Board meets at Dresden. How much I wish
that you could be with us more often, and longer !
With very kind regards to Mrs. Durell, I am

Affectionately yours."

In concluding this section, a few words may properly be
added, with reference to the Bishop's personal intercourse with
his clergy in private. This, of course, would naturally vary
somewhat in color and manner, according to the age of the in-
dividual, his congeniality to the Bishop's taste, and the extent of
their acquaintance. There was about him a certain habitual
quietness of bearing, which, to one who saw him for the first
time, might perhaps appear to offer a barrier to closeness of ac-
quaintance. But, when one came to see more of him, and to be
identified with interests and pursuits which he had much at heart,
this impression of reserve was altogether removed. He never,
it is true, laid aside the dignity and gravity of character that
were natural to him, as well as becoming to his station in the
Church. But within these bounds, his clergy found him at once
cheerful, genial, and sufficiently familiar. There was in his
nature a vein of delicate humor, which, when he saw fit to in-
dulge it, rendered his society extremely agreeable. No man
could have a keener appreciation of the comic side of things :
none enjoyed more thoroughly the pith and marrow of an amus-
ing incident ; none had a better relish for the whimsical peculi-
arities of individual character, as they chanced to fall under his
observation. He was as ready as any one to join in laughter
over a well-told story, and, in his own quiet way, did not dis-
dain, on fitting occasions, to contribute to the common fund of
cheerfulness. But the great staple of his conversation, when he
was with his clergy, was of themes that had a bearing less on
entertainment than on self-improvement. He delighted in ex-
changing views with them on matters of general literature, on
questions of theology, on points of Christian experience, on im-
portant movements in the Church, and on such secular affairs as
might appear to have a bearing on the higher interests of hu-
manity. His talk was delightful, stimulating and enriching to
the mind of the listener. In conversations of this description,
he had a habit of philosophizing much, and would often open

THE BISHOP AS PASTOR OF PASTORS.

225

up a train of the most profound reflection on the subject under
remark. To social "small-talk," those vocal nothings that make
up the staple of so much of the conversation that takes place, pro-
bably no man was ever less inclined. With his enormous read-
ing, added to his great capacity for thought, his utterances
abounded both in suggestiveness, and in wealth of illustration.
Intercourse with such a Bishop could but tend to produce a
studious and thoughtful body of clergy. Both by word and
by example, there was a great moulding power in his influence
over those who were permitted thus to look into his own habitual
tone of mind. It was by this reflected and indirect agency that,
for the most part, he sought to bring his influence to bear upon
them, and not by more dogmatic and preceptive methods. It was
seldom, and only in extreme cases, that he resorted to direct ap-
peals of remonstrance or of exhortation, to shape the conduct of
those who, under him, were employed in sacred ministrations. He
was always forbearing and indulgent to the highest degree, in
his judgment of clerical conduct ; patient of personal foibles and
weaknesses ; given to passing over in silence, whatever might
receive a charitable construction \ rebuking rarely and with the
utmost mildness ; and resorting to discipline only as a last neces-
sity, when all other means had been tried and failed. Wonder-
fully free from a tendency to suspicion, his eyes would be sure
to be the last to be opened to an instance of ministerial misconduct,
and even after the proofs had been forced on his unwilling
notice, the whole tenderness of his nature seemed to flow forth
to encircle the offender. No one who ever knew him well, could
possibly suppose him to be one who was hasty to condemn, or
eager to punish. In the exercise of this branch of his high office,
his leaning was ever to the side of mercy. Three of our blessed
Lord's beatitudes seem to be singularly descriptive of the character
of our departed Bishop : —

" Blessed are the meek ; for they shall inherit the earth."
" Blessed are the merciful ; for they shall obtain mercy."
" Blessed are the pure in heart ; for they shall see God."

15

226 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

XXXI.

LETTERS.

After the preceding section was completed, letters were
brought to light, some extracts from which will further illustrate
the Bishop as Pastor of Pastors, and show him as he bore daily
the care of all the churches, and even the care of the individual
members of those churches.

" Should the misconduct of the individual become so notorious,
that any persons are found who are ready to sustain charges by
evidence, it will become a duty to interpose ; but I would advise
you, even in that event, to consult specially with me before
approaching her on the subject. As to her connection with the
Ladies' Circle, it will be better to leave that to their own regu-
lation. They will find means of avoiding, at least, that she
should have a prominent part; but it is better that the clergy-
man should not be brought in, so long as the whole matter may
very possibly be within the region of vague, intangible scandal.
For those who allege her attendance at divine service as an
excuse for their non-attendance, the simple statement should be
enough, that no one has the power or right to drive her away
from the house of God. You can say also, that if any state-
ments are made, which, if duly sustained, should exclude her
from the communion, and which any credible persons are pre-
pared to sustain, you will forward them to me, your own author-
ity being imperfect. It would be quite right, however, both in
your discourses and in private conversation with her, so to speak
of the danger of unworthy receiving, as may be adapted to deter
her, if she is so unworthy ; and, before the next communion, you
might read the whole of the notice which contains so solemn a
warning."

Several months later, the same subject called forth the follow-
ing letter : —

"In my late visit to , I made inquiry respecting some

reports of conduct on the part of , a communicant of

your parish, which, as it was stated, had given grounds of of-
fence and suspicion to the congregation, and was interpreted by
many as indicating her to be ' an open and notorious evil liver. '
I must beg of you to communicate to her the contents of this
letter, as she was absent at the time.

LETTERS. 227

It would be unjust to pronounce that these reports were proved
to be true, without having had an opportunity of hearing what
she might say in reply. But I should give my advice that, as
she certainly has been regarded by others with suspicion and
distrust, and as there have been undoubtedly some circumstances
which have given occasion for this, she shall refrain from the
Holy Communion until she shall have shown, by a very circum-
spect mode of living, and by the removal of all such suspicious
circumstances, that she either was free from guilt, or has re-
nounced it with effectual repentance. I should think a period
of six months not too long.

Let it be distinctly understood that this is not a sentence of
suspension from the Communion, for I have not heard her
defence. But it is the course which I recommend to her, and I
think, if she is indeed a Christian woman, she will be willing to
follow it, and so to regulate her conduct, especially as to living
alone and receiving the visits of men in private, as to give no"
further occasion for censure or suspicion. May God give her
grace to do what is acceptable in His sight!"

His appreciation of discouraging circumstances, yet his hope-
fulness and his unwillingness to abandon a post once selected,
appear in the following extracts: —

"I am by no means disposed to think of abandoning the sta-
tion, or diminishing the payment, if the amount be necessary;
but it may be important that the field be somewhat widened by
missionary labor, such as you have undertaken, in the neighbor-
ing towns. Your own continuance, after the close of your
Diaconate, must be much at your option. The remuneration is
most inadequate, and could I offer you a more cheerful field for
your services, and one where they would be better repaid, I

should rejoice. I am sure that they are honored at ■ and

among all your brethren."

"I see no other way with regard to the Parish at , but

to build it up by patient, prayerful labor, under God's blessing.
Time may bring aids and opportunities."

Notwithstanding the difficulty which the Bishop experienced
in supplying the vacancies left by the constant removal of the
clergy, the following series of extracts from his letters to them will
show with what kindly feelings he parted from them, and how
far he was from reproaching them for seeking more inviting
fields of labor. Instead of throwing obstacles in the way of
their removal, he not unfrequently recommended them for

2 28 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

positions of more importance, when he thought that it was
a duty which he owed both to them and to the Church. So well
was this understood, that his brother Bishops did not hesitate to
write to him and ask if he had any clergyman in his diocese
whom he could recommend for such or such a post, well
knowing that if the right man for the place were there, his truth-
fulness and his enlarged views of his duty to the whole Church
would not suffer him to withhold the information.

This habit of looking to Maine for supplies was becoming so
alarming, as to justify the remark made by one of the clergy,
that Maine seemed to be the hunting-ground for the whole
Church.

" I am much indebted to you for the kindness of your last two
letters, and deeply appreciate the feelings which you express
towards this Diocese, the people who were your parishioners at

, and myself. It is one of the disadvantages incidental to

a new and weak diocese that we must often part with those whom
we would most gladly retain, for want of a sufficient number
and variety of stations, to secure and repay their different ser-
vices. I submit without a thought of repining, and rather
rejoice that, when we have no right to expect the satisfaction of
keeping excellent brethren, they should do a good work well
elsewhere."

"I have inclosed your Dimissory Letter to Bishop at

once, and the transfer will be complete when I hear from him

that it is accepted. My next act will be to transfer Mr. in

the same manner, and Mr. is to go next month. May God

give us men as good and faithful !"

" I trust that in your present position you will find every encou-
ragement and blessing. But there, as here, it will be wise to over-
come, rather than to attempt to satisfy, that thirst for more sym-
pathy in your work from those around you, which you have
rather painfully felt. A certain substantial sympathy you will
always have from all Christian people ; but constant, equal, ap-
preciative sympathy in all your studies, plans, daily pursuits,
tastes, peculiarities, would be possible from very few ; and not
the most unquestionable of benefits, if it could be had. But
sympathy is mutual ; and, so far as it is needful to your comfort,
it will best be created, by letting your heart go out in strong
sympathy with the wants, cares, feeling and hopes of your fellow-
men.

in releasing you, my dear brother, from all episcopal charge
and counsel of mine, I can but commend you to the unfailing

LETTERS. 229

grace of the Holy Spirit, and assure you of my affectionate
thoughts and prayers, should our connection never be renewed."

" it will be to me a great, a very great satisfaction, if you can
be retained amongst us now, when we are threatened, or are
already afflicted, with such serious losses. I do not attempt to
strive against that which cannot be avoided \ but I should part
with you with exceeding regret ; and I cannot but believe that,
remaining on your native soil, and laboring patiently on, you
will build up for yourself as much of usefulness and happiness,
in due time, as can be expected elsewhere."

"There can be little doubt that, with your riper experience,
your more practical knowledge of what is required in preaching,
and your fuller acquaintance with the place and people, as well
as in your character of presbyter and full pastor, you can accom-
plish more in the second year than in the first. I shall therefore
rejoice and have good hope, if it should be so ordered that you
may remain another year 5 and it is beyond all question, for the
interest of the Parish. Nor can you be regarded as spending to
little purpose the time which you spend there ; nor is the Parish
one, in all its bearing, ' of the least among the thousands of
Israel.' It is a post which, if it be well maintained, may be of
wider and more lasting influence than many which are far more
encouraging.

A different sphere would certainly stimulate your energies to
more cheerful activity ; and I cannot blame you for desiring
more animating influences around you. But do not rely upon
these influences ; for if you do, you will miss them everywhere.
Is there nothing of the kind, too, in the very needs of the com-
munity in which you are? Is there not an impulse to a kind of
preaching and of pastoral earnestness, which may call in, awaken
and turn the ungodly ?

,0n the whole, however, I should advise you to be guided by
the intimations of God's Providence. At present, it is possible
for you to remain ; all desire it ; and you are doing good.
Should any call be presented, which seems to promise a far wider
usefulness and a much happier lot, I could not press you to de-
cline it ; but I hope that you will not seek it ; and I trust that
you will not accept any, where the preponderance of motives is
not clear and decided ; something more than merely an easier
place or more welcome society. But I am as far as possible
from regarding you as shrinking from any duty, however labori-
ous or self-denying. The past year has proved the contrary ;
and whatever may eventually be your choice, I shall be satisfied
that you have devoted yourself faithfully to your high work. ' '

" It cannot surprise me, n6r lead me to blame you in the least,
that you should desire another field. I do not indeed think that

230 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

your time has been wasted at , nor that it would be, should

it all be spent there ; and I believe that you would see increasing
fruit with every year. Were I in your place, I greatly doubt
whether I should seek a change. In the ministry, I believe him
to be safest, who permits Providence to open his way without
much effort of his own. The necessity of a support is, of course,
an exception ; and so is a strong impulse from within, towards
a missionary labor. When one is without employment, it is as
far as possible from being a dishonor .to place himself in its way;
and for the same reason, when the situation which he holds is
one which yields him no adequate support, or to which he seems
not adapted.

Whenever you are obliged to leave , either for lack of

support, or because it seems unadvisable to continue the aid given
to the Parish, I should gladly aid your settlement elsewhere.
Whenever you are called thence to any other post, I should not
offer an objection, whether it were within or without the Diocese.
But simply to leave it, not to take another missionary station, for
I understand that you were less willing to undertake the work

at or at , but from preference for a larger field, for

less solitary toils, or a place where there is less of hardness to be
endured, is not a case so clear. Sometimes, in these instances,
a clergyman is left quite unsettled ; and places which are really
more promising, are more likely to find him out in due time
than to be found by him.

All this, however, should by no means interfere with journeys
to visit your clerical friends, with preaching in different places,
and becoming known in every way. If, as the result, you should
be summoned elsewhere, now or hereafter, you might go with
a good conscience.

I will cheerfully give any recommendation which the circum-
stances may require and justify, when any particular opening^ is
presented. To write to any of my brethren, and recommend
generally a clergyman of my own Diocese, for any desirable
position which might be offered, would be a step somewhat liable
to be misunderstood ; but, if you desire such a letter to any par-
ticular Bishop, I will give it. It will be with great regret that I
shall part with you, should it so be. But we are pilgrims here ;
and God will order all."

" I am very sensible of the discouragements under which you
labor ; though I cannot indeed think them unparalleled, nor re-
gard your life at , if it were continued for several years, as

otherwise than honorably and usefully spent. Nor, do I see any
reason why, under the blessing of God, the Church should not
increase there as well as elsewhere. • Time, I trust, will open for
you the place where you may find all which you miss at ,

LETTERS. 231

In the meanwhile, it has occurred to me that a minister of the
Church in such a place, might do well to acquire and preserve
a local influence, by interesting himself, perhaps more than is
usual with our clergy, in the general affairs of the community.
The influence of an intelligent, educated man, of high principle
and religious spirit, cannot but be for great good, and would
react upon the cause of the Church."

In the preceding letter, the Bishop recommends a course
which, in the earlier years of his ministry, both in Hartford and
Gardiner, he successfully followed ; to show interest in the local
affairs of the people among whom his lot was cast. In both
places, he took a deep interest in the cause of education, and
gave much of his time to the public as a member of school com-
mittees, and in both places had much to do with the establish-
ment of public High Schools. During the first year of his resi-
dence in Maine, he often assisted literary societies, struggling
for existence, by delivering gratuitous lectures. This he was
willing to do, partly that he might encourage literary tastes and
efforts, and partly because it made him known to some, before
whom he could not easily come officially. As his duties increased,
and the Church became better known in Maine, he thought this
course less necessary, and gradually withdrew from the lecturing
field, preferring to devote all his energies to less indirect labor
for his Diocese.

'' It will be very important to be assiduous in visiting. Your
friends apprehend most from the shy and reserved habits, which,
if at all natural, grow so easily upon the student. I hope you
will disappoint all such fears. The people amongst whom you
will be, love frankness, energy, and familiarity. In your preach-
ing, too, you will do well to study a popular mode of address,
and avoid too much disquisition."

Other letters to young clergymen contain cautions which may
have saved them from much trouble. In one he advises to have
little to do with the choir, avoiding especially being entangled
in the disputes which so often disturb its harmony. In another
he urges the utmost circumspection and prudence, in intercourse
with the ladies of the parish, that there might be no ground
given for reports which would be detrimental to a clergyman's
influence. Other extracts might be given, which would show

232 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

that he could "reprove" and "rebuke," as well as "exhort
with all long suffering and doctrine," but they are of too private
and personal a nature to be laid before the public.

XXXII.

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS.

This Section has been prepared with much kindness and care,
by the Rev. Edward Ballard, D.D., Rector of St. Paul's Church,
Brunswick, Maine. He is well fitted for the task, by his long
and intimate acquaintance with the Bishop, by his own historical
tastes, and by his official position for several years as Secretary
of the Maine Historical Society.

In common with the young, the Bishop's love for the narra-
tives of the past was developed in the days when the world was
new to his thoughts. With the eager curiosity of that age, which
excites restlessness, and is gratified with the novelty of things
" done a great while ago," he took pleasure in the histories of
the nursery. As he grew older, this taste was increased by read-
ing. His memory, naturally strong, by cultivation became
stronger, and he could in his turn repeat to others the tales of
olden times, which had been interesting and instructive to him-
self. His imagination here came into play ; and even in his
boyhood he would arrest the attention of the younger members
of the family, by the narrative of facts, or by inventions of fancy
that seemed like facts. It is remembered of him, that when the
evening hour required their repose, he thus quieted their minds,
excited by the events of the day, and aided its fatigues to induce
sleep.

This combination of his powers, in the use of his memory and
imagination, was happily illustrated in a poem of considerable
length, describing a stirring portion of English History, from
which the following extract is taken. It was written, as appears
from his own memorandum, when he was about fifteen years old.
It shows not only the character of his reading at that age, but

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS. 233

specially the deep and living impressions made on his mind, by
the fierce activities of the warlike scene. It has, too, the flowing
ease of versification which appeared in the poetical writings of
his later life.

" I came where hosts were armed to shake
The walls beside Moral's sweet lake ;
And choosing chief who mock'd at paries,
I march'd behind Burgundian Charles :
And 'scaping from that gory day,
That half his phalanx mow'd away,
To win his notice was my chance,
Beside his steed to bear a lance.
To bleed on Nanci's fatal plain.
When treason stretch'd him mid the slain.
Thence journeying to another land,
I joined Henriques' gallant band.
Who spread their canvas from the mast,
To seek the spicy southern blast.
To tell each burning clime and sight
Might cheer a gossip's winter night.
Return'd, I mingled with the spears
Of old St. John's stout chevaliers.
Who held at bay the Paynim host,
That leaguer'd round their sandy coast."

We may the less wonder at his facility in grouping events in
this form, when we are apprised of the fact, from his own memo-
randa, that at the age of seven years, in connection with the
studies usually given to children at a later date, he was reading
Plutarch's Lives, and the memoir, partly fact and more fiction,
of Baron Trenck. A year later. Goldsmith's Rome occupied
his attention. In the following year, with Virgil, he was reading
his translation by Dryden, Shakspeare, Marmion, Don Roderic,
and Goldsmith's England; and before his sixteenth year was
completed, while proceeding in a thorough course of academic
and college studies, and a wide range of poetic reading, in which
Scott's Poems, as fast as they appeared, formed a part, he had
read the History of the Conquest of Mexico, by Bernal Diaz,
Hume and Smollet's History of England, Clarke's Travels,
Gibbon's Rome, the Cyropedia, Chateaubriand's Palestine and
Memoirs, Sully's Memoirs, Hollinshed's Chronicles, Fuller's
Worthies of England, Gillies' and Mitford's Greece. These
were followed the next year by De Lolme on the British Con-
stitution, and Hallam on the Middle Ages.

2^4 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

In these wisely selected works, with others of less prominent
character, he laid a deep and strong foundation for the love and
pursuit of historical knowledge, whose attainments were increas-
ing through every year of his life. He valued the past, not only
for its own interest, but for its power in aiding to shape the
events of the future, by lending freely its wisdom to direct com-
ing actors. To his knowledge of the lessons taught by history,
must be ascribed much of that steadfastness of purpose and
action, which marked his course through life, and especially in
the clerical and Episcopal portions thereof.

It was in accordance with this characteristic of his mind, that
he gave his attention to the History of America, from the time
of its discovery, through its progress to our own day, and es-
pecially to that part of it which he loved as his country. What-
ever he gained from the many pages of history, was made to
contribute to the main purpose of his life, the better understand-
ing and elucidation of that Book, which presents the oldest his-
tory, and contains truth unto salvation.

When he had changed his decision from the profession of law
to that of theology, he at once saw the importance of bring-
ing all his knowledge of ancient history, to bear directly on
this new department of study. At this period we find him the
student of Mosheim, Milner, Jahn, Neander, and others of
acknowledged merit. He was especially interested in search-
ing out the connections between sacred and secular history, as
presented in Shuckford and other writers, more or less fully; and
particularly in the valued volumes of Prideaux. He gave his
patient endeavor to acquire familiarity with the events, by which
the history of the chosen people of God was modified by their
contact with surrounding nations, in traiific, wars, victories, and
defeats, and by the seductions of their idolatries. The sacred
narrative was his constant guide ; and his thorough knowledge
of its leading personages and their actions, as affecting the Jew-
ish nation, the neighboring communities and remoter peoples,
enabled him to follow easily the several authors in their learned
efforts, to show how the events of the world at that day were
interlaced with the governments of Samaria and Jerusalem, to
bring about the destruction of both.

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS. 235

The history of the Christian Church was a subject of even
deeper interest and study. As a minister of that Church, he
realized how essential it would be to his own satisfaction and
his efficiency, that he should thoroughly acquaint himself with
its origin and progress, amid defections, calamities, and success.
How well he learned the lessons, is known to those who have
listened to his instructive conversation, and his public discussions,
where this knowledge came in to form or strengthen his argu-
ment. At all times, when this field was opened, there appeared
to be no part of it which his practised quest had not reached ;
and none, where his ready eye could not see, on the instant, the
facts needed for his purpose. His readiness in this department
of study bore a semblance to that of the veteran who describes
the scenes in which he has taken a leading part. He thus gained
an entire satisfaction with the institutions of the Church, with
her doctrines, with her Apostolic ministry and her Liturgy, all
which are of history, and are to endure. The following extract
from his Charge to the Clergy in 1850, displays the results of
historical research : —

"The excellency of our Church consists in this, not that it
stands apart as a sect claiming to be purer than all others, but that
it is in fact the succession of that Church which once included
all Christians of our language and lineage. Having never aban-
doned that position, it is still the parent, the basis, the bulwark
of all their religion, and unites them, through a faith transmitted
from the beginning, and through sacraments in an equally long
succession, to the original fellowship of the Apostles."

The historical proof of all the statements in this extract were
as clear to his mind as those that sustain the canon of Scripture,
or indeed of any event whatever ; and he was ever ready to es-
tablish the fact of the commencement of Episcopacy with the
organization of the Christian form of the Church, by the fullest
reference to his abundant stores of knowledge, gathered from
the many centuries, during which its truth was never denied or
disputed.

One of the earliest results of the Bishop's historical research,
given in print, he modestly named " Pages from the Ecclesiastical
History of New England during the century between 1740 and
1840."

236 MEMOIR OF B J SHOP BURGESS.

His thorough acquaintance with the religious condition of the
people of the Eastern States, from their earliest settlement, quali-
fied him to show the successive steps in the change, which re-
moved the Trinity from the obligations of faith, and swept not
only Calvinism out of its path, but portions of the truth on
which it claims to rest. He performed this work at intervals in
the columns of the "Episcopal Observer," a paper issued at
Hartford, while he was the Rector of Christ Church in that city.
The articles gained a wide circulation through the columns of
other periodicals. The ability displayed in the work, and the
interest excited in his clear and forcible statement of facts led
to the request for its publication in a form better suited for
preservation. The consent was given in 1847. I^i a modest
advertisement, introducing the " Pages" to the reader, he says: —

" The opinions which are implied, relate to subjects on which
no Christian can desire disguise. The inferences which are in-
volved are as much with the reader as with the writer. ' '

The history opens with a reference to the condition of the
Church as left by the Reformation, which "tore down images
and shrines within the temple of Christian doctrine ; but left the
foundations, the walls and the columns as they had stood,
through the revolutions of ages." It then touches upon the er-
roneous teaching regarding the nature of the Son of God, in
European writers ; and so brings into view, by historical steps,
the changes that were about to appear in the New World, where
the people, with a sincere heart, had sought what they deemed
a purer faith and regimen, on the bleak wilds of our North
American shores. Here, not a few of the descendants forsook
the principles of their ancestors, and what the latter received as
truths never to be relinquished, came to be denied as hurtful
errors by the most gifted and brilliant of the former, in state-
ments and advocacy, mild and guarded at first, but in the end
open, daring, and firm.

The following extract will show the Bishop's judgment as to
the ability of the Puritan system exhibited here, to keep out the
innovation.

" The founders of the chief colonies of New England were of
one heart and one mind ; and this was the source of a great
error in their ecclesiastical system. It forgot that never again
could the community which they founded, be what it was at
first ; that they had collected and brought into the wilderness a
peculiar people, but must afterwards meet human nature as it

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS. 237

arose, in all its varieties. They could exclude from their com-
munion, or banish from their territory, the man who would not
share their faith ; but they could not decide the character, nor
annul the birthright of the children who should succeed in their
places."

The sequel was in harmony with this recital. The "Half-
way Covenant" was one of the movements to show the workings
of the system ; and from the time when "Whitfield first passed
like a cloud over New England, with thunder, lightning and
rain," there was a path opened for a progress from the truth of
the Trinity, and an atoning Saviour, to the final abandonment of
both, till at length, "the one bond of union amongst the liberal
teachers, was a denial of a threefold distinction in the Godhead."
" The Unitarian ministry affirmed that Jesus was a teacher di-
vinely appointed ; that He wielded a control over external
nature ; that, at the close of a spotless life. He sealed His mission
with His blood ; and that He reappeared on the third day after
His crucifixion, as a pledge of human immortality. It affirmed
no more;" and yet, "as if through all his negations, a gleam
from the heaven of truth had shot in at sunset," the gifted Chan-
ning, in his last public address, said that " the doctrine of the
Word made flesh, shows us God uniting Himself most intimately
with our nature, manifesting Himself in a human form for the
very end of making us partakers of His own perfection. " " The
doctrine of grace, as it is termed, reveals the Infinite Father im-
parting His Holy Spirit, the best gift He can impart, to the hum-
blest human being who implores it ; " and he concluded with
Avords which, "as a rhetorical apostrophe, would be almost pro-
fane, and as a prayer, would be at variance with the efforts of
his life : ' Come, Friend and Saviour of the race, who didst shed
thy blood on the cross, to reconcile man to man, and earth to
heaven ! ' "

But this glimmer of truth from the ancient temple, had not an
attraction sufficient to lead the wanderers back to its shelter.
They were pressing on in the opposite direction. They sought
a new fabric made by human skill. " Of all the doctrines which
distinguish the Christian religion, there remained only the divine
mission of Jesus. His exercise of miraculous power and His
resurrection, were facts of history. About these two facts and
this one doctrine men lingered, as if around two majestic col-
umns sustaining a broken architrave, the only fragments of some
once perfect and resplendent temple. At length, the spirit of
improvement prompted the question, whether the ground should
not be cleared, that it might be the site of a new and nobler
edifice. The answer was heard from the spade and pickaxe of
transcendental impiety. ' '

238 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

The interest of these "Pages" consists, not alone in the trac-
ing of the change through the events of the century, and showing
how a slight departure at the beginning, when ''Arianism had
only been named as a distant heresy," widened in its course far
away from the anciently received truths. It is to be found,
and with deep admiration, in the complete familiarity of the
Bishop with the times and with the skilful workmen, by whom
the original doctrines were sapped, that bolder hands might
effect their overthrow. He appears as if he had lived in each
year, manifesting a knowledge of earlier writers, which in later
ones he gained from personal acquaintance and observation.
The sermons, the tracts, the reviews and the volumes, pertain-
ing to a controversy that was fraught with anxiety and bitterness,
were all within his reach. His eye, practised in research, caught
the salient points of character and doctrine ; and if he had actu-
ally lived with the disputants of those years, he could hardly
have shown more facility in description, or more accuracy in
the survey of each step of the decline from the ''cruciform
structure of the temple of doctrine, the reflection of its triune
glory, and the one atoning sacrifice," through questionings of
doubt, to disbelief and rejection. The concluding paragraph is
a history of this departure and its result.

"So, through the passage of a century, doubt has struggled,
and conquered and prevailed. It began with silence on some
of the more mysterious doctrines of Christianity ; it ended with
a denial of all doctrines save one. It began with an appeal
from human creeds to the simple language of inspiration ; it
ended with denying the inspiration, and discarding the language.
At first, infusing itself into upright minds, with the air of scrip-
tural inquiry, it caused a theological mistake ; then, spreading
the shining mist of liberality over the cold, the vain, the worldly,
the timid, the presumptuous, it nourished a stupendous heresy ;
and finally, forcing a bolder order of thinkers back upon them-
selves, it issued in a wilderness of popular unbelief. But the
spirit which loves to doubt, can but depart, by its very nature,
farther and farther from the high regions of celestial faith. He
who sees the flakes of snow gathering along the tide of the hum-
blest Alpine brook, well knows that, though kingdoms lie be-
tween, they must descend till they reach the sea."

At an early time of the Bishop's residence in Maine, the His-
torical Society of the State secured a large share of his interest.

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS. 239

and continued to receive many benefits, from his knowledge of
general and local history. By a unanimous election, he was
made a member of this body at its annual meeting in September,
1851, and ever after gave his aid in the promotion of the objects
which its friends had taken in charge, and which the Legislature
had authorized by enactment, and encouraged by a liberal grant
of public land. By previous appointment, he delivered the
address at the annual meeting at Brunswick, in August of the
year 1854, which, at the request of the Society, was given for
publication, and appeared in the fourth volume of its " Collec-
tions."

In this address he entered fully, and with all the spirit of
fresh acquaintance, into the history of the State, both in its
general character, and the many events that made its early
stages scenes of frontier hardihood, in opposing Indian cruelty,
prompted and sustained by French cupidity. He took for his
theme the four periods in which its progress naturally divides
itself. The first, embracing the space of seventy years, from
the first colonial occupation of the soil of New England by
English settlers, under the leadership of the venerable George
Popham, at the mouth of the Kennebec, to the date when " Mas-
sachusetts was constrained to procure by fair purchase, the large
inheritance which she had long sought by injustice," and so be-
came the possessor of the " Province of Maine." The second
period extended through the havoc, desolation, and partial aban-
donment effected by the Indian wars. The third came down
to the day when the Province assumed the attitude and relations
of a State, in the enjoyment of a separate government. The
last period commenced with that change, and is going forward
into the future.

In the elucidation of the points in these several portions, every-
where instructive under his treatment, he speaks of the traits in
the character of the people of Maine, as the result of the "state
of confused incipiency" in the earlier portion, combined with
the weakness and poverty of the settlements. With his discrimi-
nating perception of causes in action, he says: "the stricter vir-
tues of the Puritans might be somewhat wanting' ' to the venturers
into the forests. But "as little were the settlers likely to possess
the faults of the Puritans ; their narrowness ; their tendency to
spiritual pride ; their indiscriminate hostility to old usages, often
quite as innocent as their own, and more significant and beauti-
ful." There was no one great event in their antecedents to
"impress" upon them, "a prevailing character to betoken its

240 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

origin, as in persecution or resistance to time-bound supersti-
tion. ' ' "But the circumstances of place and occupation, and the
influence of a few remarkable persons, might fix some several
and distinctive stamp on the men of Agamenticus, Sheepscot,
and Saco. This absence of common recollections of early in-
stitutions, of ancient customs, of traces plowed into the heredi-
tary feeling and habits of a whole people, is seen in Maine at
this day, as it is not seen abroad. In the frame of Massachu-
setts we perceive everywhere, the prints of that idea which ani-
mated her civil and ecclesiastical polity at the first ; the idea of
independency; the resistance to higher control ; a single princi-
ple which still gives to very wide diversities a certain unity.
Rhode Island was the asylum of persecuted opinions; and, to
this day, the social freedom with which different religious bodies
grow side by side in that little State, is unequalled ; for what
was toleration elsewhere, was equality there. Connecticut was
almost homogeneous, was quiet, was retired ; and its people
are yet like their forefathers, reverential, steadfast, consistent.
Neither of these pictures represents the inhabitants of Maine.
The period which has just passed before us left them no heredi-
tary convictions or institutions. Its work was only negative ;
and the issue is, that where you encounter a citizen of Maine,
you have no cause to infer, from the simple circumstance that he
was born here, anything whatever concerning his special opinion
on themes the most serious and sacred. Whatever it be, it will
be freely held, and freely avowed. So much, and so much only,
results from the anarchy of the first sixty years." And then, in
referring to the statutory enactments of the present period, in
which alone the State has acted for itself, he said : " The char-
acter of a State is not merely the cause, but also an effect of
legislation ;" and added, in respect to its action here, " It may
have been defective or excessive, narrow or loose, hasty or slow;
but it has been practical, direct and popular, frugal and absti-
nent. It has had small respect of persons. It has tended
toward equality in every privilege. It has cherished common
education. It has sedulously guarded the social rights of indi-
vidual freedom. It has paused when its own work was done,
and left to the private man his private duty. It has neither aimed
at vast results, nor slighted manifest utility. It has been the
plain, manly, just, and sparing legislation, which was adapted
to secure the most obvious of real benefits, and to develop the
energies of patient industry. So far it has wrought already.
It has formed a people like itself, free in spirit, full of practical
sense, and just to one another and to all mankind."

This address throughout bears the marks of the Bishop's close
and patient research ; for no one could draw into its compass

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS. 241

SO many of the minute details of our history, except by the
toil of persevering study, and a memory that could keep its
treasures to surrender them at call, and thus illustrate the high
purpose of reaching the truth always present in his mind ; to
" listen to both sides, till facts and arguments prevail. While
ingenuity is attractive, and partiality may be pardonable, truth
is holy, and history, true history, is truth."

The first event in the first period in the history of Maine
always had a deep place in the regard of the Bishop. The
colony of Popham, in the aboriginal province of Sabino, at the
mouth of the Kennebec, as it was the first public act for the in-
troduction of civilization into New England, with the protection
of English law, so it was the first to inaugurate the worship of
God, with clerical services in the English tongue. On two
occasions he turned the attention of his Convention to this early
matter, and said : "These services were unquestionably those
of the Episcopal Church of England ; and there can be no
doubt that this first recorded instance of public worship in New
England was attended by the use of the Book of Common
Prayer." Through the death of the principal persons concerned
in the enterprise, a winter of unusual severity, and calamity by
a destructive fire, the colony broke up in the coming year. The
place, however, was re-occupied in the next summer, though not
with the same colonial arrangements. But notwithstanding
these changes, the Bishop saw how the ecclesiastical influences
thus introduced were continued a few years afterward at another
point farther west "under the patronage of Sir Ferdinando
Gorges, the first proprietor of the Province, a warm Protestant
and Episcopalian, of all whose plans, the establishment of the
doctrines and usages of his own Church form a distinguished
part." He employed these facts as the commencement of a
brief narrative of the Church in Maine, down to the time of his
Address to his Convention, and closed it with the remark, that
"it is not an uninteresting reflection, that this soil was first
trodden by the feet, and first consecrated by the prayers of
Christians of our own communion. We need not dwell upon
the fact with undue earnestness; but it is at least a grateful re-
membrance."
16

2 42 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

It is therefore to be supposed that he would afford his en-
couragement to the commemoration of the first chartered
English occupancy of our soil, when it was proposed to give a
public expression to the historical interest of the State in the
" celebration of the first founding of our race on these shores."
The day selected for the purpose was the 256th anniversary,
August 29th, 1862. The Historical Society of the State lent its
efficient aid. The Committee on the celebration invited the
Bishop to take charge of the religious services of the day; and,
at his suggestion, provided and distributed copies of the Order
for Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer in use
during the reign of James I., under whose charter of April 19th,
1606, this colony was founded, as well as all the settlements
in New England and Virginia for at least a third of a century
thereafter. A i^^ modifications adapted it to the change of
national circumstances. It was used on an elevated platform
erected for the purpose of the celebration, on the parade of the
works of the new fort, bearing the distinguished name of
Popham. The Bishop's impressive figure, as the ocean breeze
fluttered his robes in the open air, added dignity to his manner
in leading the worship. Response and choral music lent their
aid to its proprieties. To all the solemnity the gathered thou-
sands of citizens listened with marked interest and respect; while
by the fortress in the process of erection and the monumental
stone inserted in its walls, "the people of Maine will be reminded
that their first debt of historical reverence is due to men who
never withdrew themselves from the Church of their native land,
with its Episcopate and Liturgy."*

He had also been requested to deliver one of the Addresses
before the large assemblage later in the day, at the Pavilion,
erected on another part of the Peninsula of Sabino. In yielding
to this solicitation, he chose for his subject, Richard Seymour,
the chaplain of the colony, the first English clergyman who
ever officiated on the New England shores, whose name, and
the fact that a Church had been built within the original Fort
St. George, had been lately brought to light by the publica-

* Address to Convention 1S63, p. 12,

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS. 243

tions of the Hakluyt Society for 1849. This production, though
brief, displays an unusual acumen in tracing genealogical rela-
tions in their various widening branches, and an acquaintance
with family history, amid all the difficulties of a remote period,
both intimate and accurate. Step by step he proceeded in the
investigation, until he reached the conclusion that he was a
direct descendant of the house of Seymour, the second among
the English nobility ; one of whom, the Duke of Somerset,
during the minority of Edward VI. as Lord Protector governed
the realm. He thus states the result of his thorough investiga-
tion of this portion of English biography.

" Mr. President: Who was Richard Seymour? And why
should he be remembered with honor?

The house of Seymour, the second among the English no-
bility, first rose to eminence through the elevation of Queen
Jane, the daughter of Sir John Seymour, the favorite wife of
Henry the Eighth, and the mother of Edward the Sixth. Her
brother. Sir Edward Seymour, became Earl of Hertford, and
in the minority of his nephew, King Edward, was created Duke
of Somerset, and governed the realm as Lord Protector. He
was twice married, and his second wife, Anne Stanhope, being
a lady of high descent, it was made a part of his patent of
nobility, that his titles should first be inherited in the line of her
children, and only in the event of the failure of that line, should
pass to his children by his first wife, Catherine Fillol, and their
descendants. Accordingly, the honors — forfeited when "the
Good Duke," as the Protector was called, perished on the
scaffold — being afterwards restored, passed down in the younger
line, till it expired in Algernon, Duke of Somerset, in 1750;
when they reverted to the elder line, in which they continue till
this clay.

Li the mean time, this elder branch had been seated, all
along, at Berry Pomeroy, in Devonshire, a few miles from Tot-
ness, from Dartmouth, and from the sea. The eldest son of the
Protector, Sir Edward, a Christian name which continued in the
eldest sons for eight generations, died in 1593. His son. Sir
Edward, the grandson of the Protector, was married in 1576,
and died in 1613, having had, according to one account, five
sons ; according to another, three ; besides four daughters. The
youngest son, according to both accounts, bore the name of
Richard ; and this great-grandson of the Protector Somerset,
was, I suppose, the Richard Seymour who was the chaplain of
the Popham Colony. The case is sustained as follows : —

244 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

There is no other person of the name known in genealogical
history. Among sixty-nine male descendants of the Protector,
he is the only Richard.

His age corresponds with the chronology of the occasion.
His father having married in 1576, the youngest of three, or
even of five sons, might well have been born within ten years
after, so as to have been, in 1607, a young clergyman just from
the university. What more probable than that such a young
man should be attracted by this noble adventure, as it happened
to be in the hands of his immediate friends ?

His residence corresponds with the locality of the enterprise.
It was within fifteen or twenty miles of Plymouth, and amongst
those gentlemen of Devonshire who chiefly formed the company
with whom this undertaking originated. Of the Plymouth com-
pany, of 1620, his brother, Sir Edward Seymour, was one of the
incorporated members.

This brings us to the most decisive circumstances, which are
not a little interesting in the light which they cast upon the
history of the colony. At Dartington, close by Berry Pomeroy,
was then, and still is, the seat of the old family of Champer-
noun, which 'came in with William the Conqueror.' Francis
Champernoun, who came to Maine as one of the councillors
under the patent of Gorges, and settled at Kittery, was the
nephew of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. Therefore, either Gorges
himself, or his sister, or his sister-in-law, must have married a
Champernoun. Gorges was Governor of Plymouth, and was
the soul of these expeditions long after.

The mother of Sir Walter Raleigh was also a Champernoun ;
and as she was of course the mother also of his half-brother, the
gallant Sir Humphrey Gilbert, it follows that his son, Raleigh
Gilbert, the admiral of this expedition, was the grandson of a
Champernoun, and had an affinity with Gorges through that
family.

Sir John Popham had several children, amongst whom was a
daughter, Elizabeth, who was married to Sir Richard Cham-
pernoun ; and thus there was affinity between the families of
Gorges, Gilbert, and Popham, through the household at Dar-
tington.

Sir Edward Seymour, the father of Richard Seymour, was
married, as has been said, in 1576, and his wife was Elizabeth,
daughter of Sir Arthur Champernoun ; and thus the chain of
relationship is complete between the families of Gorges, Raleigh,
Gilbert, Popham, and Seymour.

Richard Seymour, therefore, the son of Edward Seymour,
was related to Gorges, the projector of the colony ; to Popham,
its patron ; to Popham, its president ; and to Gilbert, its ad-

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS. 245

miral, all through the common link of the family of his mother.
When they sought a chaplain, they found one in Richard Sey-
mour ; and no other Richard Seymour is known except this
relative of theirs. May we not regard the identity as, I will not
say demonstrated, but fairly established, to the extent of a
reasonable conviction ?

The connection between the families of Seymour and Popham
ceased not with that generation. Sir John Popham, though
Wellington, in Somersetshire, was his birth-place and burial-
place, purchased from the family of Darell, to which the grand-
mother of the Protector belonged, the seat of Littlecote, in
Wiltshire, on the borders of Berkshire, and here resided his
descendants. Sir Edward Seymour, grand-nephew of Richard
Seymour, married Letitia Popham, daughter of Francis Popham
of Littlecote, and had a son named Popham Seymour ; and the
next Sir Edward, his eldest son, married another Letitia,
daughter of Sir Francis Popham, also of Littlecote. This here-
ditary friendship accords with the association on this spot.

But Richard Seymour has his honor, this day, not from his
memorable descent, but from the place assigned him by the
Providence which presided over the destinies of this now
Christian land. He was not the first English clergyman who
ever preached the Gospel or celebrated the Holy Communion
in North America : that honor fell to Wolfall, in 1578, on the
shores of Newfoundland or Labrador. He was not the first
English clergyman in the United States ; for Hunt had already
begun his pastoral office on the banks of the James. He was
not even the first Christian teacher within the limits of Maine ;
for L'Escarbot, a Huguenot, had instructed his French asso-
ciates in 1604, on an island in the St. Croix.

But Seymour was the first preacher of the Gospel in the
English tongue, within the borders of New England, and of the
free, loyal, and unrevoked portion of these United States. Had
he inherited all the honors of his almost royal great-grandsire,
they would have given him a far less noble place than this, in
the history of mankind. ' '

When the Historical Society of the State improved and re-
enacted its By-laws in 1859, a new provision was made for the
office of a Vice-President, with a special contemplation that the
Bishop should be the first person to occupy that position. As a
testimony to his interest in the institution, and to his large and
valuable acquisitions in this department, he was unanimously
elected to this office, at the meeting which adopted the By-
laws previously proposed. He presided at several of the special

246 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

meetings for receiving and reading papers, in the absence of
the President, and always added interest to its gatherings,
by his well considered remarks on the subjects presented, and
more especially by his brief addresses at the opening of the
sessions. Notes were taken by one of the members, and the
following, without attempting to furnish the beauty and accuracy
of the Bishop's style, may serve as a specimen of his readiness
to adapt his course of thought to the needs of the occasion.

" The Vice-President opened the meeting with a graceful
mention of the President, the Hon. William Willis, of Portland,
then absent in a distant part of the country, and of his long
cherished interest and activity, in promoting the efficiency and
the increasing success of this institution. He then referred to
the year of the present meeting (i860) and the similar date in
the three preceding centuries, denoted by the numerals '60,
remarking that the year 1560 was distinguished by the full set-
tlement of the Protestant Reformation in England, soon after
the accession of Elizabeth to the throne. The year 1660, after
the uncertain movements of Gen. Monk, was marked by the
restoration of the Second Charles, with the commencement of
the changes in civil and ecclesiastical affairs from the policy of
Cromwell, consequent on that event. In the autumn of 1760,
George the Third ascended the throne, in the year after the
fall of Quebec, and continued in his government through a
period crowded with a series of events, which opened the door
of revolution, and accomplished the separation of the American'
colonies from the control of the mother country. The same
period, in its later portion, witnessed the career of the First
Napoleon, in its beginning, and through a progress that termi-
nated in the failure of his great and brilliant plans of conquest.
Of the year i860 and its future, nothing can be told in advance.
The past shows the probabilities of the vast import of the history
to be formed out of the occurrences of the time to come. What
will be the history which those events will leave to be recorded !

He then spoke of the eminent historians who have died within
a comparatively short period ; of ' Prescott, who, under extra-
ordinary disabilities, had produced volumes of rare worth in
this department ; of Hallam, who, with judicial impartiality,
passed through the intricacies of the ' Middle Ages,' developed
the principles of the British Constitution, and traced the charac-
teristics of 'English Literature ;' of Irving, who, to say nothing
of his many valued labors, has presented a ' Life of Columbus'
that completes all that can be desired in a biography of the great
discoverer ; and of Macaulay, whose brilliancy of style and pic-

HISTORICAL TASTES AND PURSUITS. 247

turesqne descriptions have gained him many admirers. The
recent departure of these eminent and successful laborers in the
field of historic research, has rendered this period remarkable.'

He then referred to ' the designs of Historical Societies,
whose functions may be ranged in two classes. The first pur-
pose is to preserve documents, and prosecute researches into the
past ; and the second, to nourish a taste for historical studies in
general. As to the first point, local inquiries should be insti-
tuted and completed, for the results thereof are materials of his-
tory. In these pursuits nothing is too small, as bearing on the
history of a state or nation. The minutest facts are traced and
noted in matters of science, and the same should be much rather
done in the life of man. Legislative aid should be given to sus-
tain these pursuits. On the second point he remarked that, his-
torical inquiries had scarcely begun to present what they are
destined to bring out by their investigations. He referred at
some length to the mystic treasures of Egypt ; to the influence
of oriental languages upon the nations of the present hour \ to
ethnological studies, carrying the pursuits of the scholar into the
languages of the early nations \ to the light to be derived from
these sources for the better understanding of the sacred volume ;
and to the examination of remaining monuments, that indicate
the thought of a people who had no written language for its
expression.'

He then suggested ^ a department of inquiry, of singular
use in fulfilling the designs of these societies. It was the full
gathering of the different kinds of traditions, and especially those
not existing in books, to be arranged and digested, and the laws
to be declared for enabling us to jvidge of their nature and
value.' He referred to 'the uncertainties of tradition, as
expressed by Lossing, in his wish to be accurate in the descrip-
tion of events so recent as the battles of the American Revolu-
tion, and the well-known discussion about the part taken in the
battle of Bunker Hill by General Putnam. The aid of science
maybe called on to confirm or correct tradition. This was illus-
trated by the application of the microscope to a piece of skin
nailed to a church door in England centuries ago. The examina-
tionshowed it to be human, and thus sustained the current opinion.
An interesting period, where reliance on tradition is all the source
of information on certain points, is in the time immediately suc-
ceeding the completion of the sacred writings. What was the
life of the Apostles afterward? Where did they go? What did
they do? Where and when and how did they die? Infidels,
like Strauss, prepare theories of the origin of the sacred books,
to show that they are without authority, because they are merely
the work of man. But here tradition is invaluable, and the

248 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Christian's claim for the exalted character and authorship of
these writings, can be proved by the recognized laws of historic
truth.'

He concluded this instructive and interesting address, deliv-
ered without notes, by referring to "the sublimity of thought
connected with the study of history. It is not written as it should
be. The history of man should be a picture of his actual growth,
vigor and destiny. Where this is duly contemplated, nothing is
more interesting or sublime. We inquire into the past, and again
we become subjects of inquiry to our successors."

The unanimous wish of the Society was expressed in a resolu-
tion, proposed by His Excellency, Gov. Morrill, and seconded
by President Woods, of Bowdoin College, requesting the Bishop
to write out his remarks for publication by the Society. It is to
be regretted that they have been preserved only in the imperfect
report given above.

The largest, and by no means the least valuable and interest-
ing of the Bishop's works, in the portion of his life described in
this section, is the "Sketches of English Church History," some
part of which was published during 1866 and 1867, in "The
American Quarterly Church Review." His purpose was to give
an account of the Bishops in each of the English Sees, naturally
involving biographical notices, with considerable detail, of the
several occupants, in their connection with the events of their
Episcopates. It is needless here to speak of the worth and the
ability apparent in these pages, as they are successively offered
to their readers. They show, as do all his efforts in this field of
literary labor, a most familiar acquaintance with persons and
contemporaneous facts. Even the poetry of the period gives aid
to the narrative, thus again showing the wide range of his read-
ing, and how easily he could turn all available sources to the
accomplishment of the proposed end, and proving, as has been
said of these "Sketches," that "they have all the character-
istics of that accomplished scholar." To appreciate their full
value, the reader should know as much of the period and the
actors, as did the writer ; and no one will venture on a criticism
with safety, until he has measured well the ground occupied in
the relation. It is to be lamented that an irreparable loss of a
part of the manuscript has limited the work to five of the English
Sees.

HISTORICAL TASTES AND TUKSITTS. 249

The published productions of the Bishop fail to show all the
results of his persistent and well-regulated historical study. The
farther evidence of his diligence herein is preserved in large
manuscript volumes, which reveal, far more than the printed
pages, the great extent of his investigations, and his ample col-
lection of materials, which could easily have been expanded
into works of great interest and value. One of these is of the
nature of annals; taking up the portion of English History from
1531 to 1593, with a special reference to the ecclesiastical events
occurring therein. The fulness of these notices, and their ar-
rangement, betoken how carefully he had directed his studies to
the records of the past, and are indications of the richness of
his treasures in the facts of the time considered. Another volume
of larger dimensions is a Chronological Table, beginning with
the Christian era, and coming down to the year 1861. It pre-
sents not only many of the events in the several years, but also,
in appropriate columns, the leaders in public affairs, writers in
prose and poetry, theologians, historians, navigators, civilians,
artists and others; often noting the year and sometimes the day
of their birth. The method pursued in the construction of this
Table shows it to have been no mere transcript from the labors
of predecessors, but largely the product of his own research, and
made ready for immediate use by his accuracy in regard to per-
sons, facts, and dates.

The mention of the Bishop's instructive volume, entitled "The
Last Enemy," does not properly come within the purpose of this
chapter. It was not written with an historical design. Yet it is
pertinent to say, that scarcely any published volume of its size
presents so many historical facts, with so many allusions to
personal character, compacted in as few pages, as are found in
this impressive work. It is another proof of his wide extent
of reading and memory, which is more fully shown in his re-
mark, that in its preparation the material left out was much more
than the material used.

In February, 1863, the Bishop was elected a corresponding
member of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

A single remark remains to close this inadequate attempt to
portray the Bishop's decided taste for historical pursuits, and his

250 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

contributions proceeding from his diligence in this department
of literature. From whatever he wrote or spoke, there came to
the reader's or listener's mind, the deep impression that his
power and resources had been but partially called into action.
His learning here, as elsewhere, resembled the broad, deep
ocean, along whose shores we may measure the ebb and flow of
its constant tides, and on whose surface we may watch the cease-
less movement of its untired waves ; but with each moment there
will come into the thoughts a deeper sense of the silent, majestic
presence of the mighty flood itself, and an increasing tribute of
awe and admiration.

XXXIII.

IN THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS.

For this section, the editor is greatly indebted to Rt. Rev.
Alfred Lee, D.D., Bishop of Delaware. It is inserted without
a single alteration.

No one, well acquainted with Bishop Burgess, could doubt
his efficiency and influence as a member of the Upper House of
the great legislative council of our Church. His extensive and
well-digested learning, his sound and excellent judgment, his
broad, comprehensive treatment of a subject, his well-chosen
language, his calm and dispassionate manner, were admirably
adapted to the House of Bishops. In that comparatively small
assemblage of men of mature and disciplined minds, mere ora-
tory avails little, and arts that move and influence a large popu-
lar body are thrown away. The subjects considered are, for
the most part, such as are already familiar, and upon which their
opinions have been nearly formed. Solid facts and cogent argu-
ments can alone command attention, or affect the decision of a
question. The tone of discussion there is simple and direct,
colloquial rather than declamatory, admitting a more frank and
unreserved expression of views and feelings, than a more nume-
rous and promiscuous assemblage. And one of the principal
reasons for the private sessions of that house, is the importance

IN THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS. 251

of preserving this unembarrassed and confidential interchange
of opinion. At the introduction of Bishop Burgess into this
House, in 1850, with characteristic modesty he at first took little
share in discussion. At each successive meeting he became more
prominent, and in none did he more freely express his senti-
ments, or occupy a more commanding position, than in 1865.

This sketch applies to his course in the House of Bishops, as
a branch of the General Convention, whose action is recorded in
the journal. In regard to other meetings of the Bishops of the
Church, in their jtidicial capacity, it need only be said, that no
one evinced greater solicitude for maintaining unsullied the
purity of the Church, and the high character of its chief minis-
ters.

One of the first important subjects in which Bishop Burgess
took part, indicated, very strikingly, his freedom from any ten-
dency to enhance the prerogatives of his office, and his respect
for the rights of his brethren of the clergy and laity.

The question as to the discretion of a Bishop, in accepting or
refusing letters dimissory, had become one of great interest in
1850. The House of Clerical and Lay Deputies evinced a
strong desire to have this point settled, in such a manner as to
secure the right of a parish to obtain the services of any clergy-
man of the Church, in regular standing, whom the parish might
see fit to invite. Accordingly, an amendment to this effect was
made to the Canon, " Of Clerical Residence and Removal," and
sent to the House of Bishops, where the said amendment was
rejected, and, even after being recommended by a Committee
of Conference, again rejected. The matter was revived in 1853,
and the disagreement between the two Houses was, perhaps, the
most serious and threatening that has ever occurred. While the
proposed amendment, having been again passed by the one
House and thrown out by the other, was in the hands of a Com-
mittee of Conference, it was discovered in the House of Bishops
that the same had become a law, in consequence of the neglect
of that House to communicate their dissent from the last action
of the House of Deputies in 1850, with the reasons therefor,
in three days, as required by Article HI. of the Constitution.

252 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

In both sessions, Bishop Burgess voted with a minority for the
amendment as proposed by the House of Deputies.

In the Convention of 1853, he favored the removal of restric-
tions upon the division of a Diocese, by making a certain number
of self-sustaining parishes and officiating clergymen indispensa-
ble in each part ; and moved and carried the rejection of a pro-
posed canon imposing similar restraints upon the formation of
new dioceses.

One of the most important subjects before the Bishops, in
1856, was the Report of a Commission, to whom was referred,
in 1853, the memorial of the Rev. Dr. Muhlenberg, and other
eminent clergymen, touching the need of greater flexibility and
liberty in public worship, of better adaptation of our services to
varying circumstances, and the importance of taking measures to
draw more closely together Protestant Christians agreeing in
great fundamental doctrines. The elaborate and interesting re-
port of this commission, it was fondly hoped by many, would
give a new impulse to the prosperity of our Church, and to the
extension of the Redeemer's kingdom. Whether or not Bishop
Burgess shared in these anticipations, he entered most heartily
into the spirit of this movement, and gave his thorough support
to all the recommendations of the Commission, standing side
by side with Bishop Alonzo Potter, their warmest advocate. Of
the Preamble and Resolutions in the shape finally adopted (see
Journal of House of Bishops of 1856, page 204) he was through-
out the supporter, sustaining both the measures adopted, and the
propriety of such action by the Bishops.

Bishop Burgess had seconded Bishop Potter's motion for the
appointment of this commission, and served as a member of the
same. At subsequent Conventions, when attempts were made
to review and set aside the action of 1856, he always opposed
the reopening of the question. All the weight therefore of his
practical wisdom, ripe experience, and warm attachment to his
own communion, were thrown into the scale of judicious, timely,
and liberal adaptation of the services and operations of the
Church, to the community and age in which divine Providence
has placed it. Bishop Burgess was named as one of the perma-

IN THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS. 253

nent Commission on Church Unity, created by one of thealjove-
mentioned Resolutions.

The same conviction, the desirableness of rendering our ser-
vices appropriate and edifying, enlisted Bishop Burgess in
behalf of two other propositions. The one was an attempt to
introduce an additional alternative Preface in the Confirmation
Office, that to which we are at present confined being often
strikingly inappropriate, where the Church is receiving accessions
of mature or aged members, many of them from other commu-
nions. Accordingly, repeated motions have been made for this
object, hitherto unsuccessfully, Bishop Burgess always giving
them his aid and countenance.

In another effort, that for enlarging our Hymnal, he was par-
tially successful. Although the report of the Committee to the
Convention of 1865 did not as a whole find favor, the House of
Clerical and Lay Deputies requested the House of Bishops to
select and set forth for use, a limited number of new hymns. This
selection was mainly made by Bishop Burgess, and by his exer-
tions carried through the House, near the close of the session.

The General Convention of 1862 assembled under circum-
stances of great anxiety. The country was convulsed, and the
Church divided, by the great rebellion and consequent civil war,
the event of which was still uncertain. A sanguinary battle had
just been fought, and the whole land vibrated with the terrific
shock. That any assemblage of loyal citizens, meeting at such
a time, could be insensible to the conflict that was then raging,
or that such a struggle with the duties involved therein could be
excluded from the discussions even of a Church Council, was
simply impossible. To many, such exclusion appeared not only
impossible but unjustifiable. The Church, it was felt, had solemn
responsibilities in this dread crisis, and to withold avowal of
sympathy with the government to whom the allegiance of her
children was due, and to shrink from pronouncing judgment
upon the subject in its moral and religious relations, appeared an
inexcusable evasion of duty. No one held this opinion more
decidedly than Bishop Burgess. Conspicuous ever for Christian
meekness and brotherly love, by disposition and grace a peace-
maker, he stood forth the unflinching supporter of his country's

254 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

cause. He came prepared to meet this grave issue as fully and
fairly in the General Convention as elsewhere. The chief occa-
sion of difference in the House of Bishops was respecting the
introduction or exclusion of the national question from the Pas-
toral Letter. Two letters, framed upon opposite principles,
were presented. The House, by a decided majority, adopted
the well-known letter, so imbued with the spirit of Christian
patriotism, and so acceptable to all loyal hearts, and this letter,
it need scarcely be added, was fully sustained by Bishop Burgess.

The journal of this Convention also shows that Bishop Burgess
voted against accepting the resignation of his Episcopate, which
Bishop Scott of Oregon had offered under much discouragement
and depression. He proposed a plan for the government and
Episcopal visitation of congregations of our Church that might
be formed in European countries. He favored the restoration,
under certain conditions, of ministers deposed on account of
abandoning the Communion of our Church. And he voted
against the proposal to appoint a Joint Committee to inquire
into the expediency of opening communication with the Russo-
Greek Church.

The General Convention of 1865 was no less agitated by the
national question than that of 1862. The great issue, indeed,
had been decided by the Providence of God. The sword had
been sheathed. Bishops and Deputies from Southern Dioceses
had come up, as in former times, to the gathering of the house-
hold of faith. There was no division of sentiment in either
House as to the desirableness of reuniting the bonds of unity
that had been broken. There was but one heart to welcome
back brethren whom we had never ceased to love. But now, as
in 1862, the point arose whether it was right to pass unnoticed
and thrust aside, the momentous struggle just ended. At the
former meeting, the assembled Church had bowed down before
God in a solemn service of prayer and supplication. In the
time of our trouble we sought the Lord. Could we doubt that
he had hearkened to us, when we had been delivered from the
imminent dangers which then threatened us, and had received
the special blessings which we then implored ? Could we refrain

IN THE HOUSE OF B I SHOTS. 255

from confessing the mighty and gracious hand that had brought
us out of our distress, and should not our thanksgivings be as
full and particular as our prayers ? This was the view taken by
Bishop Burgess, and accordingly, on the second day of the ses-
sion, he offered the following resolution to be laid upon the table
for subsequent consideration.

" Resolved, That the House of Bishops, having at the Gene-
ral Convention of 1862, in consideration of the then afflicted
condition of the country, proposed and observed, in conjunction
with the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies, a day of fasting,
humiliation and prayer, with solemn and appropriate services —
and now, reverently recognizing that Almighty God, in answer
to the supplications of His people, has graciously delivered the
country out of that afflicted condition, by the marked interposi-
tions of His Providence in our behalf; by the universal establish-
ment of the authority of the national government ; by the com-
plete restoration of peace, and by the extension among all
classes and conditions of men of the blessings of freedom, edu-
cation, culture, and social improvement ; and gratefully acknow-
ledging the special loving kindness of the Lord to this Church
in the re-establishment of its unity throughout the land as repre-
sented in this National Council : Do appoint as a day of
thanksgiving and praise for these manifold mercies, and will
hold a solemn service appropriate to the occasion.

"Resolved, that the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies be
respectfully invited to unite in this service."

When this resolution was called up by him, on the 6th day, it
was referred together with a substitute offered by the Bishop of
Maryland, to a committee consisting of the five senior Bishops.

The tone of the report of this committee harmonized with the
resolution above stated. After a preamble of the same tenor
they proposed : —

" That this House appoint Tuesday, the 17th day of October,
to be observed by the same, in appropriate public services, as a
day of thanksgiving and praise for God's manifold mercies to
our country and His Church, especially in giving us deliverance
from the late afflicting war, in re-establishing the authority of
the national government over all the land, in restoring to our
country the blessings of union and concord, and in bringing
back the unity of the Church as represented in this Convention.

Resolved, that a copy of the above preamble and resolutions

256 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

be sent to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies with an affec-
tionate request that they will unite with us in observing the day
therein appointed."

This report was adopted with a good degree of unanimity,
and it was supposed that the difference of opinion had been
happily adjusted.

The next day, however, at the request of the Bishops from the
South who had resumed their seats, the action was reconsidered
and the following adopted as a substitute by a vote of 16 to 7,
Bishop Burgess, of course, voting in the negative : —

"Resolved, That the House of Bishops, in consideration of the
return of peace to the country and unity to the Church, propose
to devote as a day of thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty

God for these his inestimable benefits ; and that an appropriate
service, prepared under the direction of the five senior Bishops,
be held in St. Luke's Church."

The appointed thanksgiving service was accordingly held, in
which allusion was studiously avoided to the answering of our
prayers for restoration of the rightful authority of the govern-
ment, as well as to the extension of the blessings of freedom
and social improvement to millions of our fellow-men. To the
minority of the House this action was the source of great disap-
pointment and regret. They could not perceive that any reason-
able cause of offence was given to our brethren from the late
rebellious States, by the course first proposed. Reluctant to
appear to compromise their loyalty as citizens, and their Christian
obligation to render due praise to God for his manifest interpo-
sition, they united in a supplemental thanksgiving, celebrated on
the evening of the same day, in the Church of the Epiphany,
and they decided to read in the House, before its adjournment,
a statement of their position and feelings. The drawing up of
this statement was intrusted to Bishop Burgess, and it was read
by Bishop Mcllvaine on the last evening of the session, as
follows; —

"statement of seven bishops."

" The undersigned have. desired one of their number to read,
in his place in the House of Bishops, the following paper. It is

IN THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS. 257

not a remonstrance against action which is already past. It is
not a protest, for which they are aware that the wholesome rules
of the House allow no place upon its journals. It is simply a
statement, which, after it has been read, can be by themselves
preserved, made public and transmitted to the knowledge of
those Avho shall come after them.

In the decisions of the House of Bishops with reference to the
day of thanksgiving for the restoration of peace and other im-
portant subjects, the ground has been taken, that, for the sake of
more complete conciliation, no sentiment should be expressed
by this House, or this Convention, or this Church in any collec-
tive capacity, on subjects of such importance and so near to all
of us as the re-establishment of the National Union and the
emancipation of the slaves. The House of Bishops unquestion-
ably loved their country and its unity, and they could not
approve the system of human bondage ; but they will seem to
have adopted as the position to be henceforth occupied by this
Church, one which is consistent Avith indifference to the safety
and unity of the nation, and to the freedom of the oppressed.
This is a position which, as the undersigned believe, should not
be maintained by any branch of the Christian Church in the
United States, whether in the present or any future generation. To
signify that it was not accepted by all on this occasion, and
that those who did not accept it believed it to have been accepted
at all, only because an extreme desire for conciliation and unani-
mity prevailed for the hour, the undersigned have prepared this
document, with perfect and cordial respect for their brethren,
but under the consciousness of a great duty to the inseparable
interests of their beloved Church and country.

Signed by Bishop McIlvaine, of Ohio,
Lee, of Delaware,
Eastburn, of Massachusetts,
Burgess, of Maine,
Lee, of Iowa,
Bedell, Assistant, of Ohio,
Vail, of Kansas."

Philadelphia, October 24, 1865.

This noble and timely testimony was the last utterance of the
sentiments of its lamented composer in a body which he' had
adorned for many years, and of which he was now uncon-
sciously taking his final leave. The echo of these words will
linger there a witness of the union of uncompromising patriotism
with Christian fidelity and love in this admirable man.
17

258 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Only one other act of Bishop Burgess at this session need be
referred to, his moving to withdraw from the Russo-Greek Com-
mittee authority to correspond. Of his eminently catholic spirit
none could be in doubt. His course in this matter indicated his
conviction of the necessity of great caution in any such advances,
and his fear that our own Church might be compromised by too
eager reaching after fellowship with Churches holding the posi-
tion of that concerned. Dearer to him even than the integrity
and peace of the nation were the doctrinal purity and simplicity
of worship of the Church of Christ.

XXXIV.

GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN MAINE.

The Rev. William S. Bartlet, himself active in the spread of
the Church in Maine before the consecration of its first Bishop,
and deeply interested in all its subsequent progress, has kindly
furnished the following sketch,

"It is proposed to give, in this section, a statement of the
growth of the Diocese of Maine during the administration of
Bishop Burgess. A very brief sketch of the previous history of
that State will aid materially in a proper understanding of the
subject.

The first attempts at colonization in Maine, as well as in Mas-
sachusetts, were made by members of the Church of England ;
and the use of her matchless liturgy, as well as the administra-
tion of one, if not both of the Christian sacraments, were by
priests of that Church. Popham's colony passed several months
in 1607 at the mouth of the Kennebec, with the Rev. Richard
Seymour as chaplain, and one of the officers of the government.
The westerly part of Maine contained colonies established by Sir
Ferdinando Gorges, a decided Churchman. One of these colonies
is said by him to have been settled as early as New Plymouth,
viz., 1620. In 1636, at Saco, a ' Book of Rates for the minister
to be paid quarterly,' was drawn up, and subscriptions were

GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN MAINE. 259

"entered in it; and the following year the Rev Richard Gibson
officiated at the place named, and other places, dwelling in those
parts seven years. In 1648, an inventory of property belonging
to Trelawney's plantation, at Richmond's Island, contains the
items of ' The minister's bedding, the communion vessels, one
cushion, and one tablecloth.' From this entry, it has been in-
ferred that the clergyman above named officiated in the territory
mentioned, as the Rev. Robert Jordan afterwards did, as early at
least as 1645. For baptizing some children in 1670, in Falmouth,
now Portland, he was summoned before the General Court of
Massachusetts, who also called him to account the succeeding
year for solemnizing a marriage. The territory of Maine,
after many changes of ownership, passed by purchase into the
hands of the neighboring colony of Massachusetts, in 1677.
Thenceforward the religious teachers encouraged in this Pro-
vince were Puritans.

More than three-quarters of a century elapsed, when a clergy-
man of the Church of England was sent to a colony which had
been established in the valley of the Kennebec. This mission
continued twenty-three years, when it was suspended by the de-
parture of the missionary. It remained unoccupied seventy years,
when it was resuscitated, and services were held in a building
which afterwards became the property of a Church parish. In
1764, an Episcopal Church was founded in Portland. In 1772,
a church and parsonage were built in Gardiner. In 1809, an at-
tempt to form a church in Augusta failed solely because of the
impossibility of obtaining a minister.

In May, 1811, the first Bishop of the Eastern Diocese was con-
secrated. This Diocese included all New England, except
Connecticut. Looking at its territorial extent, and regarding
the character of New England people, the responsibilities de-
volving upon the Bishop in charge were probably unequalled
by any other position in the world. The disintegration of Pu-
ritanism had already made rapid progress. In the more intel-
lectual and refined parts of the Northern States, Unitarianism
had revolutionized many religious societies, while in other por-
tions, the rebound from the asceticism of Calvinism had mani-

26o MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

fested itself in the growth of Universalism. The Church would '
undoubtedly have met the wants of many. But, alas, the Church
was small in numbers, and, to make the matter worse, she was
affected in no small degree with the Erastianism, which has hin-
dered her progress in England. There seemed to be, also, an
ill-defined deference to the various Evangelical sects around
her, the members of which greatly outnumbered the children of
her communion. The value of the Church's system and doc-
trines was not appreciated. Hence, there was a lack of effort to
influence others to come into her fold. And so matters were
left to take pretty much their own course.

Some thirteen months previous to the consecration of the
Bishop of the Eastern Diocese, a church in Maine was without a
rector. The congregation heard of a certain ' Methodist min-
ister, who was very popular with that denomination, and who
liked the church service and was willing to use it,' and they
'voted to employ him for one year.' 'In May, i8ii,the in-
vitation was repeated for one year, and in the following June
the Methodist clergyman was admitted to Holy Orders.' For
more than a year before his ordination, this layman, in the view
of the Church, had been discharging the duties of Rector of a
Parish. He undoubtedly not only performed divine service,
and preached sermons of his own composition, but as there was
no other religious society in the town, he probably baptized
children brought to him, and perhaps also administered the
Holy Communion. And yet, he appears to have been admitted
to deacons' orders, without any notice having been taken of his
irregularities. As some ten years after, in a neighboring State,
a person was ordained deacon in the morning, and confirmed
in the afternoon of the same day, we may not perhaps be much
surprised at ecclesiastical irregularities.

Maine was admitted as a Diocese, having previously been part
of Massachusetts, in 1821. But it still continued to be a por-
tion of the Eastern Diocese.

In 1827, a church was established in Saco. This was in fact
a renewal of the parish under the Rev. Robert Jordan, in 1645.
In 1835, St. John's Church, Bangor, was admitted into union
with the Convention. In 1841, St. Mark's Church, Augusta,

GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN MAINE. 261

in 1844, St. Paul's, Brunswick, and in 1847, St. James' Church,
Milford, were likewise admitted.

The Rev. George Burgess, D.D., was consecrated Bishop of
the Diocese of Maine, October 31st, 1847, ^^^ entered upon his
duties as Rector of Christ Church, Gardiner, the following Sun-
day. He found committed to his charge the seven parishes
which have been enumerated. But little had been done in the
diocesan missionary field. There was hardly an individual
under his charge whose views were sufficiently comprehensive,
and who had the moral courage and enterprise necessary, to aid
the Bishop in asserting the original claim which the Church had
by priority of occupation, to the State which was coextensive
with his Diocese. At the time of his decease, the numbers of
the clergy and parishes had almost trebled. There was no
fund for the support of the Bishop. He commenced such a fund
by a donation of five hundred dollars. When he died, this
amount had more than trebled, and he made liberal additions
to it by his will. The annual income of the Diocesan Missionary
Society rose from some four hundred and fifty dollars to eighteen
hundred dollars, in one of the years of his administration, while
its usual annual amount would nearly average that sum. He
established three agencies for the sale and distribution of prayer
books, where not one had existed before. Three special funds
were formed, amounting in all to about three thousand dollars.
These are evidences of the growth of the Church in Maine
during the administration of Bishop Burgess, that may be seen
in material objects, and enumerated in figures.

But there was another kind of growth which must be estimated
in a different way and which will be progressive. First, a
missionary spirit may be named. Before his consecration mis-
sionary efforts had been spasmodic rather than continuous, and
not always of a judicious character. An incident may be related
under this head which may perhaps suggest much. In the year
1841-2, a clergyman of another diocese was passing the winter
in the central part of Maine. By the request of the proper
authority he made a long and very uncomfortable journey by
stage coaches to the extreme eastern frontier of the State to
ascertain what were the prospects of establishing the Church in

262 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

that region. The clergyman canvassed the section, consulted
with the rector of the nearest Colonial Church and some of his
principal parishioners, raised two hundred dollars for the sup-
port of a missionary, and then returned many weary miles to his
temporary residence. The expenses of the journey, which he
paid himself, the suffering from intense cold on the way were
trifling in comparison with other sacrifices that he made on this
missionary tour. On his return he forwarded a written report
to the proper official. A single remark of a general nature was
misapprehended by the person receiving this communication,
and drew forth a rebuke, not expected or merited ; and this
action was about all the interest manifested in the mission, if we
except a personal discussion on the part of some members of the
Diocesan Board of Missions, which was followed by the want of
a united effort for the occupation of the ground. Within a few
months after Bishop Burgess came into the Diocese he visited the
region referred to and took measures to establish the Church
there, which at once proved successful. On his return he re-
marked that 'seven years had been lost to the Church in C
As this period measured the time which had passed since the
report before named had been made, the statement showed the
lack of well-timed energy, which might have brought about a
very different result.

Bishop Burgess was not one who, while he could talk with
much feeling on the subject of extending the Church to desti-
tute localities, did nevertheless excuse himself from the actual
work. On the contrary, he was always ready to be the leader
in such enterprises. The force of his example as chief mission-
ary encouraged others, and diocesan missions in Maine will long
feel the impetus of the start which he gave them.

Though by no means ' high' in his Church views, he was in-
tensely loyal to the Church. While he appreciated the excel-
lence of many who are not of her fold, there was to him but
one efficient and lasting agency for spiritual good, and that
was to be found in the Church in Avhich he held a high office.
This loyalty in him begat a loyalty in others that cannot fail to
continue.

It has been by no means uncommon in some parts of New

GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN MAINE. 263

England, when pecuniary aid has been asked for to establish the
Church in a locality unblessed by her ministrations, for some to
inquire, ' Are there no Evangelical Churches already in that
community?' If the answer has been in the affirmative, then
the person to whom the application has been made has declined
to assist the new enterprise. The view which influenced such a
decision would seem to reduce attachment to the Church to a
mere question of aesthetics. If the view be right, it surely is the
duty of every Churchman to abandon his own organization and to
aid those religious bodies who hold many scriptural truths, in
their contest against various forms of error, rather than to multi-
ply religious divisions in the land. Bishop Burgess did not
hesitate to labor for the introduction of the Church in every
community in his Diocese where there was any prospect of the
attempt proving successful. And this he did from a profound
conviction that a lack of her ministrations is one of the
most grievous evils under which New England now labors,
and further, that in these efforts he was seeking to reclaim the
State to her proper ecclesiastical allegiance, acquired by the
Church by priority of possession.

The Bishop was not in the practice of taking part in the
operations of societies whose members were composed of various
sects, united for the promotion of a good object. He thought
that the instrumentalities belonging to the Church, when they
were faithfully used, would accomplish all practicable results.
When he took charge of the Diocese there was little, or none of
this intelligent attachment and warm affection for the Church.
But he created the spirit, and Maine now stands among the most
loyal of the dioceses. It is unnecessary to insist upon such an
evidence of the growth of the Church under his administration,
or to point out the solidity of such a part of the foundation
which he laid for its future increase in Maine.

But a Bishop might be perfectly loyal to the Church, and still
have repelled many from her by his arrogance and selfishness,
and have done further mischief by his lack of judgment. Taking
his ideal of a Bishop from that era in English history embraced
in the reigns of the Georges, and which in many respects was a
disgrace to human nature, he might have acted in the spirit of

264 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

an English spiritual baron. This leads us to speak of another way
in which he promoted the growth of the Church in Maine, viz :
conquering, in a good measure, the prejudices which existed
against her. This was effected by the rare excellence of his
personal character. He was called, and with perfect justice, the
'saindy Bishop.' This tide has been properly applied to the
author of our beautiful 'Evening Hymn.' Bishop Ken, through
no fault of his own, however, became the victim of politics, and
as such was viewed by some with suspicion. But no diminution
on any account can be made to the tide as applied to Bishop
Burgess. He was also blessed with a good judgment. Other-
wise his saintliness might at times have degenerated into weak-
ness. He won the respect, esteem, and, in many cases, the affec-
tion of multitudes in his Diocese, who had either hated the
Church, or looked upon her with contempt because of her
weakness, or because of her former cringing spirit. Instances of
his self-sacrificing benevolence so abound, that it is hard to
select. One, however, may be given. Into the family of a parish-
ioner, who was engaged in an extensive mechanical business, a
grievous sickness entered. His four children were prostrated at
once by the malady. Neighbors and friends were alarmed at
the supposed contagiousness of the disorder, and rendered no
assistance. The father of the family was obliged to abandon his
business for the time being, that he might aid his wife in nursing
the children. The Bishop visited the family. Seeing the sad
condition they were in, he said to the father : ' Your business
must be suffering from the exclusive attention you give to your
family. Go to your workshop, I will remain here and take
your place.' This the Bishop did for a time sufficiently long
to enable the father to give some attention to his secular affairs
that day. The next forenoon at the same hour the Bishop came
again to release the overworked and anxious father, and again
he acted the nurse during the father's absence. For four weeks
these visits were repeated every day. Death at last carried off
the youngest child. The others slowly recovered. This in-
stance, be it remembered, is but one out of many.

Deeds like this cast a halo around the head of the doer, by
which the lustre of the mitre is paled. Or, rather, they become

GROWTH OF THE CHURCH IN MAINE. 265

jewels in that ofificial crown, which far outshine its original
adornments. In thinking of the sympathy in affliction, ' the
bearing of one another's burdens,' which was a marked charac-
teristic of Bishop Burgess, and contrasting this with the conduct
of some who have held high ofificial rank, the words of Portia
come irresistibly into the mind : —

• A substitute shines brightly as a king,
Until a king be liy; and then his state
Empties itself, as doth an inland brook
Into the main of waters.'

The name of Bishop Burgess is a household word in many a
family in his Diocese, who perhaps know little and care little for
his mere ofificial title.

In a Puritan community, the ofifice of a Bishop is viewed with
no favor. The claims of the Church appear to be a continual
source of annoyance. If in any diocese this state of things can
be even measurably changed, we may safely say that the Church
has grown in that diocese. We may also say that a good founda-
tion has been laid for future growth. Both of these statements
are true with regard to the administration of the first Bishop of
Maine.

We have thus endeavored to sketch very briefly the growth of
the Church in Maine under Bishop Burgess. We have seen the
advance in twenty years in material elements, from a small and
feeble body to one respectable in wealth and numbers. We
have spoken of the great increase and strengthening of her mis-
sionary spirit, the Bishop always regarding himself as the chief
missionary within his jurisdiction. We have dwelt somewhat
upon the present loyalty to the Church which now marks the
Diocese, most of which was created by the departed prelate.
We have spoken of him as the 'saintly Bishop,' a title which
he well merited. And we have stated that with his purity and
devotion was associated a sound judgment. One example out
of many has been given, which illustrates some of these charac-
teristics.

When Bishop Burgess died he had not only materially in-
creased the Church in Maine, but he had left strong and broad
foundations upon which they that should come after him might

266 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

build. The value of these foundations may not be appreciated
except by those who knew the sacrifice and labor with which
they were laid. The time had not come in his day for a decided
aggressive action. Such action at that period would almost cer-
tainly have defeated itself. Unremitting toil, and personal influ-
ence and example, were necessary to lay securely the platform for
the more conspicuous efforts of those who should succeed him.
But, should Maine in coming years be largely reclaimed to the
Church, much of the success of that result will be due to the
patient and persevering effort, the self-sacrifice, and the un-
common saintliness of character of her first Bishop."

XXXV.

AS A PREACHER.

Rev. Asa Dalton, Rector of St. Stephen's Church, Portland,
made by him a Memorial Church of Bishop Burgess, a beloved
presbyter and friend, has furnished this section.

"As a preacher. Bishop Burgess surpassed, we think, almost
every member of the House of Bishops, and was not inferior to
the best of the English Bishops. He had a completeness of
culture, and a certain symmetry of faculties and of character,
which remind us of those saintly lives that have been sublimated
through much service and suffering in the Kingdom of God.
Like his friend Bishop Potter, Bishop Burgess was a many-sided
man. His faculties of mind and body were all fully developed,
and harmoniously blended. He had sound judgment, a poetic
and fervid fancy, chastened wit, a delicate humor, a prodigious
memory, and above all, that higher, a priori reason which pierces
through the mists of earth and penetrates divine mysteries. His
rare endowments elicited the admiration of all who knew him.

Bishop Burgess was not what is called a popular preacher, for
he was not striking, or sensational. His careful culture, and
the admirable soundness, fulness, and fairness of all he wrote,
necessarily removed him and kept him at a great distance from
those flashy, and sometimes frivolous clergymen, whose highest

JS A PREACHER. 267

ambition is to emulate the rhetorical tricks of sensational lec-
turers, as these in their turn run a race with the low comedian
and other enactors of popular farces. Bishop Burgess was not
only far removed from all this, but as a Bishop in the Church of
God set his face against it like a flint. In his own preaching, in
these respects he may be compared not only with Bishop Potter,
but with several prominent divines of other communions, whom
he resembled in certain traits and whose peer he was ; with such
men as Dr. Walker, of Harvard College, Dr. Hopkins, of Wil-
liams' College, and Dr. Wayland, of Brown University, neither
of whom has been a popular preacher.

To facilitate our few further observations on Bishop Burgess
as a preacher, we will speak of his discourses under the heads
of Parochial, Diocesan, Occasional, and add a few remarks on
his charges and sermons subsequently published as tracts for
general reading.

I. Parochial. — The uniform excellence of his ordinary pa-
rochial sermons is attested by those most competent to pronounce
upon them, the parishioners of Christ Church, Hartford, Conn.,
and of Christ Church, Gardiner. His parochial life was passed
with these two parishes, each of which was edified and consoli-
dated by tl;ie rich stores of sanctified learning and instruction
which the good Rector and Bishop imparted to them, as he ful-
filled his course. A faithful steward of the Divine Mysteries,
he brought forth from the treasury of the Gospel, ' things new
and old,' his sermons embracing an unusually wide range of
subjects. A wise master builder, he wrought on God's founda-
tion and no other. That the Bishop was eminently evangelical
in his preaching, is gratefully remembered by his former par-
ishioners, and their recollection of his discourses in this respect
is abundantly corroborated by his printed sermons. His opinion
and practice, in relation to this subject, are indicated in the fol-
lowing extract from a letter dated September, 1835 • —

' I think that your objections to the preaching of mere moral
discourses are perfectly well founded, for although it may not
be possible, without evidently going out of the way to drag it in,
always to state, in every single sermon, at much length, the whole
plan of salvation, yet, if the. minister be constrained by a warm
love of Christ, he can scarcely avoid so connecting every subject

268 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

with His redeeming grace, as would fully absolve him from the
charge of being a mere moralist.'

From his lips proceeded the clearest and most affectionate
statements of Gospel truth, and there were but few in either con-
gregation, who could withstand the persuasive and pathetic elo-
quence of the preacher. An ambassador of Christ too he spake
with a high degree of authority, and 'his word was with power,'
for it was faithful to the commission which he had received from
his Lord. The prosperous spiritual condition, and the unusual
general efficiency and stability of both his parishes, are the surest
evidence of his power as a preacher, and his faithfulness as a
pastor. It is this, indeed, his pastoral fidelity, which is now
recalled and dwelt upon with the deepest devotion, gratitude,
and admiration. That this eminent scholar and divine should
preach instructive sermons was not surprising, but how touching
to see him till the last, daily pursuing his rounds of pastoral duty,
specially among the poor and ignorant. In all this land there
was not a more diligent, humble, or beloved pastor, and not
only in his parish, but in his intercourse with the clergy of his
Diocese, one was often reminded of the words of St. Peter, ' I,
who am also an elder.'

Another reason why Bishop Burgess was not a ' popular'
preacher was, that his sermons contained but few startling, or
even striking sentences. His style was not epigrammatic, anti-
thetical, or sententious. His sentences were not short, and
flowed evenly along like a river confined by its banks, bearing
his hearers ever onward till they entered the desired haven with
a grateful sense of having been wafted thither by gentle gales,
a favoring tide, over a smooth sea, on whose bosom they had
floated with perfect confidence in the pilot. Many of his ser-
mons are prose poems, and almost as finished as those of Long-
fellow or Tennyson. Gibbon's stately style was very attractive
to him, and he delighted to read him for this alone. But though
the Bishop's sermons would not furnish so many passages for
'elegant extracts' as some others, when read or attentively
listened to throughout, they seldom failed to gratify the intelli-
gent hearer, or to satisfy entirely his reasonable expectations.
Often they completely exhausted the subject, and they always

^S A PREACHER. 269

did ample justice to such phases, or parts of it as were presented
for the hearer's meditations. The fairness of the preacher, his
desire to know the truth, and present things in their real relations
were especially apparent, and made of course a very favorable
impression. Confidence is proverbially a plant of slow growth,
and no preacher possessed the confidence of his hearers, in a
higher degree than Bishop Burgess. His candor and sense of
justice were, indeed, among his most prominent traits. Still
more impressive was his unaffected earnestness, deepening at
times into an awful solemnity both of thought and manner, while
the pure spirituality of his discourses was faithfully reflected by
every feature. Coming to his hearers, as he did from the holy
mount of the Divine Presence, the heavenly glow shone on his
brow, gleamed from his eye, touched his lips, and informed
the whole man.

2. Diocesan. — He constantly preached in annual or more
frequent visitations of the Diocese, and before the Board of Mis-
sions at its frequent meetings. In confirmation sermons the
Bishop usually handled topids connected with Christian doctrine,
and the Christian life and worship. His treatment of these
themes was marked by so much vigor, breadth, and earnestness,
that these occasions almost always attracted large congregations
of thoughtful and devout persons of all denominations. But
the Bishop's own clergy were his most appreciative hearers when
he preached to them at the meetings of the Diocesan Missionary
Board. These meetings were looked forward to with great in-
terest, and all who possibly could, made it a point to attend
them. The Bishop was of course the chief attraction to the
Clergy, among whom he appeared as an affectionate father, or
elder brother, of whom it might be said, 'His countenance
was a benediction.' All loved to be with the Bishop, and as
much time as possible was passed in his society. He usually
preached the sermon at the opening service, a circumstance
sufficient of itself to insure a punctual as well as general attend-
ance. His sermons on these occasions were seldom controver-
sial in form or spirit, but they frequently had indirect and inci-
dental reference to questions of great moment and present in-
terest. Of course this was more apparent to the Clergy than to

2 70 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

the Laity, and great was both the pleasure and the profit they
derived from these admirable sermons, every one of which
should be published for the edification of the faithful throughout
the land, for they were 'like apples of gold in pictures of sil-
ver,' and had the fragrance of 'a field which the Lord hath
blessed.' The reverence the Clergy entertained for the Bishop
did not allow of their praising these sermons in a fulsome man-
ner to the Bishop, nor did they write of them to the Church
papers in terms of extravagant laudation. They well knew that
the Bishop would approve of neither of these courses. They
were, therefore, content to listen to them with devout thankful-
ness and joy, and to tell each other how 'their hearts burned
within them by the way.' A cringing, fawning, silly satellite
would have been viewed by the good Bishop with a disgust only
less lively than that with which he would have turned from a
carping critic, or envious detractor of his brethren.

At the close of these services the Bishop was wont to make an
extemporaneous address, in which he often rose to such a height
of unaffected and undesigned eloquence that both Clergy and
Laity could not but wish he would adopt this style more fre-
quently. At times his form would dilate and his voice ring out
with clarion clearness and trumpet inspiration, firing all hearts
for the array of battle. Again, subdued in manner and in tremu-
lous, affectionate accents, or with parental tenderness, his ad-
dress would move to tears those quite unused to them. All who
had the happiness of being present on these occasions will re-
member the form, the face, the voice, the eye, and kindly soul
of our dear Bishop as long as they shall be able to recall any-
thing in life by which they have been deeply moved.

Of the thousands present on these occasions not connected
with the Episcopal Church, it is doubtful if any ever went away
without very favorable impressions of the preacher, and a clearer
apprehension of the truth as it is in Jesus. The Clergy resident
with him in the Diocese probably recognize and rejoice in the fact
that more ' strangers in the Church' received their first friendly
bias towards it from these sermons and addresses than from all
their efforts united. The manner and matter of the Bishop were
equally adapted to invite attendance, arrest attention, awaken

AS A PREACHER. . 271

interest, and insure conviction in a community not generally fa-
miliar with the forms of the Episcopal Church, or acquainted
with the doctrines and discipline embodied in the Book of Com-
mon Prayer,

3. Occasional Sermons. — By these are meant his 'funeral
discourses' and sermons before literary institutions, at conse-
crations of Bishops or of Churches, at ordinations, and on other
similar occasions. Of these it need only be said, that his funeral
discourses were marked by excellent taste in the choice of texts,
and a nice discrimination in the treatment of subjects suited to
the occasion. In the course of his ministry, he preached such
sermons, now in print, on the death of children, of parents,
husbands and wives, and of aged and devout disciples who,
during their lives, had walked in ' all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameless.' Among the latest of them
was his beautiful and touching tribute to departed worth, in the
person of the late Presiding Bishop Brownell, formerly at once
his parishioner and diocesan, and, still later, his affectionate
eulogy of his dear friend, parishioner and warden, the Hon.
Robert Hallowell Gardiner.

The sermons preached at the consecrations of Bishops Wil-
liams, Kip, and Whipple, at the consecration of St. John's
Church, Hartford, at the commencement of the General Theo-
logical Seminary, before the Bishop White Prayer Book So-
ciety, the Church Book Society, at the opening of the Phila-
delphia Divinity School, at the ordination of the Rev. F. D.
Huntington, D. D., at the consecration of St. John's Church,
Detroit, and others, are all noble contributions to our treasures
of sacred learning and eloquence, and should not fail to be pre-
served in a permanent form as a most valued addition to our
theological literature. They are learned, without being pedantic;
wise, without being wearisome ; devout, without being dull ;
amiable, without being insipid ; conciliatory, without being lati-
tudinarian; comprehensive, yet vigorous; pure in diction, clear
in expression, and convincing in argument, treasuries of Divine
Truths. In a merely literary point of view, these and other
sermons of Bishop Burgess are nowise inferior to the discourses
of Dr. Channing, and, if diffused as widely, would not fail to

2 7 2 MEMOIR OF BISHOP B UR GESS.

make as many converts to evangelical Episcopacy, as Channing's
Works have made to Unitarianism.

4. Charges and Occasional Essays. — Bishop Burgess de-
livered in aH six charges, at intervals of three years, from the
beginning to the close of his Episcopate.

In the first, he treated of the Foundations of the Faith, the
Scriptures, Scriptural Doctrines, Scriptural Sacraments and Or-
dinances.

In the second, he discussed and denounced the worldliness of
the age, the apathy of the Church, and presented the need of
greatly increased earnestness.

In the third, he took up the great question of the Church,
considered theoretically, historically, and as a denomination of
Christians. The catholic spirit of the Bishop peculiarly quali-
fied him to treat this much vexed question with what Locke calls
a ' large round about common sense,' and with a singular
sweetness of temper, sanctified by a holy and heavenly desire
to make the discussion tributary to the cause of Christian union,
and Church unity.

In the fourth, he raised his voice against a wide-spread heresy,
the denial of satanic agency, and of the personality of the devil.

In the fifth, he argued for a useful and efiicient ministry.

In the sixth, he discussed the situation of the Church, and of
the country, since the civil war.

Kindred in spirit to these charges, and equal in merit, were
his sermons on the Christian Evidences, preached in Philadel-
phia, and on the Psalter, preached in New York, each of which
was as fresh as the morning dew, and vigorous as the rising sun.
The charges are all able, and relate to subjects of practical in-
terest to the whole Church. But as our space will not permit
us to analyze them all, we beg to commend to special atten-
tion, the First and Third — the Third in particular. This charge
is, without doubt, the first production of the Bishop's pen. The
subject is of the highest importance and of immediate interest to
us all. The style is elegant, the thoughts weighty, and the
wisdom more of heaven than of earth. Oh, that our Church
and clergy would 'read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest' this
admirable charge ! The Rev. Dr. Muhlenburg was so much

^S A PREACHER. 273

pleased with this charge that he published an extra edition of
it at his own expense. It is now out of print. The fundamental
principle asserted is, that the terms of communion in the Church
should be as comprehensive as the terms of salvation in the
Gospel, and that Christ's ministers have no right to deny the
privileges of Church fellowship on earth to those whose names
are written in the 'Lamb's book of life' in Heaven. The fourth
charge is used as a text-book in some of the theological semi-
naries.

One of his best occasional tracts, peculiarly adapted to Maine,
is his ' Letter to a Preacher of Universalism,' published since his
death. The perfect candor which characterizes all the Bishop's
productions never appeared to better advantage than in this faith?
ful appeal. No uninspired writing more perfectly complies with
the Saviour's direction to his disciples to be 'wise as serpents and
harmless as doves.' Nowhere else is the argument against Uni-
versalism presented so forcibly and yet with so little offence to
those who hold it. The Bishop makes no personal issue with
them, and concedes their sincerity. But he compares their stand-
ard publications with the general drift of the Bible, and goes on
to ask, with meekness. Is there not a great and even startling dif-
ference? If the inspired penmen believed in the salvation of
all men, did they not adopt a singular style for proclaiming it?
Would a modern Universalist choose such terms as they did,
and persistently set forth the subject after the manner of Christ
and his Apostles? Did not they speak of salvation as something
to be earnestly sought, and as in danger of being lost? Are not
men to strive, to Avatch and pray, and are they not warned to
beware lest they ' neglect this great salvation ?' Now is this
your way of putting the question? Do you handle it after the
inspired model? And if not, if your general drift is so different
from that of the Bible, may you not, ought you not to pause and
inquire whether you have the mind of Christ on this subject?

The essays entitled 'Adult Baptism,' 'Going up to the
Temple to Pray,' and 'The Stranger in the Church,' have been
already widely circulated, and are therefore generally known.
' The Stranger in the Church ' is peculiarly adapted to make
a favorable impression on thoughtful New England people. Its

2 74 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

value consists in the modesty of its tone, and the amount of
instruction it nevertheless conveys in a very brief compass.

The writer once expressed to the Bishop the hope that he
would complete this series of popular tracts by adding others on
Episcopacy, Confirmation, and the Lord's Supper. He replied
favorably, but unfortunately for us all and for the Church, his
most valuable and holy life was drawing nearer to its close than
either he or we were aware. Within a year from that time it
pleased God to take out of this world the soul of our dear Bishop,
and in him the American Church lost one of her most apostolic
men, and, as a preacher and a pastor, one who, in the familiar
words of his favorite Cowper, was

' Simple, grave, sincere ;
In doctrine uncoiTupt; in language plain,
And plain in manner; decent, solemn, chaste,
And natural in gesture ; much impress'd
Himself, as conscious of his awful charge.
And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds
May feel it too; affectionate in look
And tender in address, as well becomes
A messenger of grace to guilty men.'

It is now three years since the mournful intelligence of
his death reached us, and in closing this imperfect sketch we
are prompted to repeat with increased emphasis the words we
then used in paying our humble tribute to the memory of his
holy life and pure Christian character.

What our dear Bishop was to us in the varied relations he sus-
tained to us, no words can express. The image of his life can
never be effaced from our hearts. The virtues of his character
were of the highest; and he seemed to dwell apart as one whose
conversation was in Heaven. His ' life' was indeed ' hid with
Christ in God,' a life of faith, of patience, of love. Our deepest
sensibilities are touched by the vivid recollection of his form, his
presence, the benignant countenance, the courteous bearing, the
sincere expression of interest, the readiness to serve, the ever
present desire to do good to all men, and 'especially to them
who are of the household of faith.' Others may eulogize his
talents, his learning, his eloquence, his wisdom in counsel and
prudence in action ; but to none was he so great, so good, or
so dear, as to the kindred of his own household, and the chil-
dren of his own Church."

APPENDIX TO SECTION XXXV. 275

XXXVI.

APPENDIX TO SECTION XXXV.

Bishop Burgess would not consent to be drawn into controver-
sies, but did not hesitate, when necessary, to attack error. His
spirit in such attacks may be illustrated by the opening para-
graphs of a sermon which he preached to his congregation in
Gardiner, from the i8th and 19th verses of the second chapter
of the Epistle to the Colossians.

"Every Priest or Presbyter of our Church, at his ordination,
was asked, 'Will you be ready with all faithful diligence to
banish and drive away from the Church all erroneous and strange
doctrines contrary to God's word?' and every one answered, ' I
will, the Lord being my helper.' This very necessary task is to
be discharged, not by force or fraud, even if that were possible,
but by argument and persuasion, public and private, and, if
need be, by rebuke, denunciation of the error, and exclusion
from the Lord's Table. Every Bishop has given, at his conse-
cration, the same promise a second time, in almost the same
words. Those who have placed themselves under these most
sacred obligations cannot doubt their general duty, to expose the
falsehood of any doctrine by which any of their charge may be
liable to be at all endangered, and to warn them against the snare,
all the more if they do not perceive it to be a snare.

But it is at this very point where real danger begins, that some
plausible maxims are encountered which have not been without
their weight in the minds even of Christians, who loved both
the truth and peace. It is thus said that an opinion, true or
false, only gains strength and spreads the more when it is openly
opposed. Be silent, it is said, and it will either die away or
cease to extend itself beyond its present limits. It is perfectly
plain, however, that reasoning like this is exactly that which may
be employed in the case of any disease which has increased till
it has become alarming or fatal. Did you employ medical treat-
ment? You may be told that the treatment caused the mischief.
Did you employ no medical treatment? You may certainly be
told, with a much greater appearance of justice, that the mischief
proceeded from your neglect. I suppose, however, that no
father, solicitous for the threatened life of a sick child, would be
as much disturbed by the fear that, through timely attention to
the complaint, he might have unintentionally pushed it on, as by
the dread that he might have neglected it too long. In the same

276 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

manner, when an error grows up and lives on, it is very easy to
say, either that it is because it was opposed, or because it was
not opposed by the Clergy. They who merely reason from the
result are always liable to mistake the way of duty. There can-
not be the smallest doubt that it is right to guard those whom we
love, those for whom we are in any degree responsible, against
every serious danger which we can foresee, and this duty is not
at all affected by the result. The natural, obvious, and divinely
appointed way of checking the progress of error is to detect,
expose, and refute it by Scriptural argument and warning. If
at any time it should spread in defiance of such efforts, we may
be sure that without them it would have spread more rapidly
and more disastrously.

There is another objection which comes home to our kindlier
feelings. While the error was at a distance, to contend earnestly
against it was inoffensive, but was also quite needless. To argue
against the Mormon doctrine wounds no one, but is of no profit.
But when the error approaches and sits down amongst us, it ne-
cessarily happens that those on whom it lays its grasp are our
friends and neighbors. We love them, we respect them, we wish
to live in union and in concord ; we are not blind to their various
merits, and we are all bound together by mutual kindnesses. It
is not possible seriously to assail the opinions of any without
danger of giving pain; and certainly it is not expedient to con-
demn them except when it is to be done with great seriousness.
Whatever mode may be adopted, reproof and censure can never
be made pleasing. Are we then to forbear? Woe to us if we
prove faithless to our duty for such a cause ; if we permit those
whom we love to pass unwarned into danger and delusion.

I am about, therefore, to speak of the delusion which derives
its name and origin from the writings of Swedenborg, and to
speak of it for the very reason that it is here ; that it has a foot-
hold in our community; and that whatever powers of persuasion
it may possess, are exercised to beguile the uninstructed and the
unstable. For the personal character of several of those by
whom this doctrine is professed, I entertain a very high degree
of respect; there is none of them, so far as I know, from whom
I ever received any unkindness, and I could wish not to inflict
the smallest pain by any words which the truth may require to
be uttered. At the same time, there is no room on subjects
like these for any great influence of personal considerations. If
that which is termed, but never ought to be termed, 'the New
Church ;' if the Church of Swedenborg be right, the Old Church,
Holy Catholic Church, the Church of Christ, is grossly wrong.
The whole Church of Christ, in all its branches and denomina-
tions, is certainly assailed by those who believe in the doctrines

APPENDIX TO SECTION XXXV. 277

of Swedenborg, as if it were wholly in darkness, blind to the
truth, and engaged in teaching mighty and mischievous corrup-
tions. We are not called to retaliate, except as, from the nature
of things, that which thus opposes the Church must be opposite
to the truth, and necessarily worthy of condemnation. But it is
not the province of Christianity to defend its own cause so much
as to attack and overthrow, by the arms of truth, all which is
hostile to the declared will of God our Saviour. We must re-
fuse to stand on the defensive ; we must push error back on its
own ground, break down its fastnesses, if it has any ; expose its
hiding-places; disclose it as it is; and, if it be possible, leave it
no disguise through which an honest heart can be deceived.
We would destroy the error that we may rescue the erring. I
offer no apology, then, for doing that which is my duty; for at-
tempting to show what Swedenborgianism attempts to be ; what
delusions it embraces; and, beyond these delusions, how it con-
tradicts the word of God. Let us only pray that all may be
done with that temper which the Holy Ghost sheds abroad in
the heart, and that we all may be enlightened by the truth as it
is in Jesus!"

It may seem strange that a sermon preached in a remote coun-
try church, and never published, should attract much attention
abroad, but strong efforts were made by Swedenborgian minis-
ters at a distance to draw the Bishop into a public discussion,
and he was even called upon to retract publicly some of his asser-
tions.

To all this he had but one answer, that he was at liberty to
preach to his own congregation what he thought right, and held
himself accountable to no man.

A similar circumstance occurred at another time, when, having
instructed his people on the subject of baptism, he was called to
account by a Baptist minister in another town. His answer to
that gentleman has been preserved.

Gardiner, November 2, 1848.

" Reverend and Dear Sir : Regard for the rights of the pas-
toral office compels me to decline a formal answer to your ques-
tion. Whatever I said was said to my own people, not even from
the pulpit, but in familiar, pastoral instruction ; and of this I
cannot think it a duty to give any explanation to a third party,
unless private character had been involved.

Should you have any desire to know my sentiments on the
subject of which I then spoke, I shall be most happy to state

278 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

them fully, in a personal interview, and, for that purpose, to see
you at my house at any time.

In Christian candor, however, I am ready at once to say, that
I rejoice in the belief that the faith of the Gospel is held sub-
stantially by the numerous and respectable denomination of the
Baptists ; and that I have no thought of placing them with those
who deny the divinity of our Lord, or the future retribution. At
the same time you are perfectly aware that the great mass of Chris-
tians do consider the Baptists, in rejecting the baptism of little
children, to be in an error ; in an error which is quite at variance
with the Spirit of the Gospel ; in conflict with the example and
design of our Saviour ; subversive of Christian communion ; and
prejudicial, both in theory and practice, to the religious educa-
tion of the young.

Very respectfully yours,

George Burgess."

XXXVII.

AS A TEACHER.

This Section is prepared by the Rev. Frederic Gardiner, D. D.,
now Professor at the Berkeley Divinity School, formerly the chief
assistant of the Bishop in the instruction of the Candidates for
Orders in his Diocese. Rev. Dr. Gardiner is the son of Hon.
Robert H. Gardiner, long the closest of the friends of the Church
and of the Bishop in Maine. His own deep love and reverence
for the Bishop have added to the glow of this just display of
him as a scholar and teacher.

"The qualifications of Bishop Burgess for the work of an
instructor were in some respects remarkable, yet were kept so
much in the background by his singular modesty that any tole-
rable expression of them may incur the risk of seeming to deal
in exaggeration and eulogy to those who did not know him in
this relation. Nevertheless, he was eminently one whose whole
character impressed itself upon every part of his work. What
he was as a man, as a parish priest, as a Bishop, that he was also
as an Instructor.

It would be out of place here to speak of the native vigor and
grasp of his mind, and of the distinctness with which he singled

AS A TEACHER. 279

out the main point of a subject and kept attention to this, making
all inferior matters subservient ; for this is apparent in every part
of his character and throughout his whole conduct of life. Yet
such a characteristic is evidently of prime importance in the in-
struction, particularly of more advanced students, and it was by
this means especially that the Bishop was able so largely to mould
the habits of thought of those who came under the influence of
his instruction. Neither time nor labor was lost in following out
side issues. The particulars of the subject were all mastered with
diligence and accuracy ; but before entering upon them a broad
view was taken of the whole, and the detail studied in reference
to the knowledge thus acquired of the true position and bearing
of each. He who traces out singly, and lays down separately
on paper each road and stream in his neighborhood, will find,
when the work is done, that large corrections are needed, both
in bearings and proportions before his separate surveys can be
united in one common mass. The Bishop, if the illustration may
be continued, sought rather first to gain a general and connected
view of the whole field from some commanding height, and from
that position to note the bearing and proportions of each object;
and then, as he carefully worked out the detail, every part fell
of itself into its proper place. In the interpretation of Scripture,
for example, if an Epistle was to be studied, the Bishop's habit
led him first to examine the general scope of the whole book ;
when this was mastered, he was prepared to study advantageously
the lesser parts with their subdivisions, sentences, clauses, and
words. In systematic divinity, the great fundamental truths of
religion were ever before him, and those of secondary import-
ance were always examined in the clear light thus thrown upon
them. His habit was the same in every other department of
theology, and indeed in every branch of human knowledge to
which he gave his attention. The Bishop was far too conscien-
tious and faithful a scholar to allow this habit to lead him into
erroneous generalizations and superficial conclusions. Guarded
against this danger, it gave unusual clearness and precision to his
own convictions of truth, and remarkable power in imparting
these to others.

It is always a great help to the student to have his work mapped

2 8o MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

out before him with accuracy and clearness, and when this can
be done for him by one who has himself thoroughly filled up
the outline and is familiar with all its proportions, his advantage
is complete. Such was the advantage of those whose privilege
it was to sit under the teaching of Bishop Burgess.

To this he joined also another faculty of scarcely inferior value,
that of presenting results, whether of life-long study, or of ripe
pastoral experience, in such pithy and comprehensive suggestions
as at once attract the attention and are easily retained in the
memory ; while study and growing experience continually bring
them afresh to the mind and add ever increasing confidence in
their wisdom and truth. Such suggestions embody principles
rather than rules, and can only flow from a knowledge and an
experience both broad and deep. Many such a suggestion from
the lips of Bishop Burgess, treasured by those whom he instructed,
is even now found of constant and fruitful use both in their
studies and in their pastoral work.

No native characteristics can sufficiently qualify an instructor
for his work, without patient labor in the acquisition, and skill and
power in the retention of knowledge. The public have had some
opportunity of judging of the Bishop in these respects, from his
published works and his frequent public addresses. The author
of the ' Metrical Translation of the Psalms' could not have been
without knowledge, nor the writer of 'The Last Enemy,'
without patient labor, nor the compiler of ' Pages from the
Ecclesiastical History of New England,' without skill in the
arrangement and condensation of his material. But only to a
long practised and sagacious critic can these works suggest any-
thing like the amount of scholarly work upon which the Bishop
was constantly engaged. Those who were admitted to his study,
which was always open, and its occupant always at leisure to
enter cordially into whatever subject the visitor had to present,
might see upon his table an amount and variety of work which
would suffice to confound in advance any ordinary intellectual
vigor. Besides the mass of correspondence attended to with
conscientious promptness, and the daily city papers and the
London Times, which, as well as the weekly American and
English papers, and the larger reviews, were read rapidly in-

AS A TEACHER. 281

deed, but attentively, there was always the sermon in progress,
and, in addition to this, some considerable literary work of a
more elaborate and permanent character. The latest fruit of his
pen is his ' Historical Inquiry into the Sources of the Gospel of
St. Luke.' Frequently some short poem or longer literary or
historical address might also have been found there. Before him
always was his well-worn Hebrew Bible. In the earlier years
of his ministry he had read this through systematically from be-
ginning to end, and he had kept up such a familiarity with it,
that he was able to conduct an examination in Hebrew of a
candidate for orders without the book in his hand. It was cha-
racteristic of him that he nevertheless ordinarily used the book.
But on one occasion when there happened to be no other copy
of the Hebrew Bible at hand, and an examination came on un-
expectedly, he gave the book to the student, directing him to
make his own selection of a passage, and, when he hesitated in
his reading, the Bishop supplied for him the Hebrew word or its
translation as need required. The Greek New Testament lay
near the Hebrew Old, and formed part of the contents of his
valise when he travelled, and was the text from which he was
accustomed to speak to his people in his more familiar lectures.
He was so conversant with its language, that when any particular
text was under discussion in conversation, it was no uncommon
thing for him to repeat it from memory readily and accurately.
There was also open upon his table some solid theological work,
in German or in English as the case might be ; and if one had
the curiosity to notice the mark between the leaves, he would
find it advanced several score of pages with each successive day.
A volume of Anderson's British Poets was always certain to be
found also near, and these were read with such attention that
whole pages of them could be supplied by his memory, when in
the quiet circle of friends any circumstance suggested the appro-
priateness of the quotation. With the standard English prose
writers he was scarcely less familiar ; while the lighter current
literature, books of travel and memoirs, without excluding the
better class of fiction, was reserved for reading aloud in the
family circle. He gave little or no time, however, to the Greek
and Latin classics in their original tongues, although well read

282 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

in their translations, and for natural science he had no taste. It
was perhaps only by setting these aside that it was possible for
man to undertake and to accomplish what he did in other de-
partments.

It was with a mind thus gifted and trained that he approached
the work of instruction. It would not be just to say that he had
any fondness for this especial work. On the contrary, simple
teaching, or the mere communication to another of information
possessed by one's self, was distasteful to him and he shrank from
it. Yet it sometimes happened that it fell to his lot to do even
this particular thing ; and when it did, his strong convictions of
duty not only overcame his natural repugnance, but made him
a most efficient teacher. Whatever he determined with himself
that he ought to do, that he was sure he could do ; otherwise
there would have been no such obligation. Accordingly, what
he ought to do, and could do, he did do. This conscientious
habit of thought and action was of value, not merely in enabling
him occasionally to discharge well the lowest office of the teacher,
but also in greatly increasing his usefulness and efficiency in its
highest duties. Without this, breadth may endanger superfi-
ciality, and the fascination of hasty generalizations be accepted
as a cover for shallowness and even unsoundness. With Bishop
Burgess, the supremacy of duty and his conscientious faithful-
ness in whatever it belonged to him to do, enabled him, without
incurring these dangers, to reap the full advantage of the broad-
est generalizations. He could generalize wisely and securely,
because he was willing to undertake and go patiently through
with that labor of detail which must ever form the only sure
foundation for such superstructure.

One might sometimes be startled at the extreme breadth and
generality of some of his positions in the department, for example,
of Ecclesiastical History ; but if it had been his good fortune to
listen to one of his oral lectures to his students, delivered without
special preparation, he would have been still more amazed at the
enormous induction of facts on which those generalizations were
based. He had so thoroughly imbued his mind with the events
of secular as well as of ecclesiastical history, with a knowledge
of the life, character, and personal connections of the chief actors

AS A TEACHER. 283

of any age; with the geography and physical features, the cli-
mate, productions, and habits of the various countries which bore
a part in the development of the period ; and with the general
state of learning and knowledge of science of the time, that the
whole rose before his view in its totality. When he thought or
spoke of an event or of the act of any historical person, it was
not as an isolated fact, but in all its bearings and connections.
This gave to his lectures a graphic power which riveted the at-
tention and thus left its impress upon the memory. As it was a
constant source of wonder to those who listened to his lectures,
so it must be well nigh impossible for others to believe, what an
immense amount of the most varied knowledge, and especially
what an intimate acquaintance with the life and character of the
individual actors of history, he thus brought to bear upon each
historical problem. This wonderful richness of learning was
brought out, not only without effort and without ostentation, but
apparently almost without consciousness. It was like the con-
versation of any intelligent person upon a subject with which he
has been long and thoroughly familiar. He speaks of it in its
broad and general features in order to convey to another mind
the best possible comprehension of it ; but in doing so, he will
often unintentionally and unconsciously show his own perfect
familiarity with its every detail. The Bishop was thus able to
throw an amoimt of light upon any obscure point, and to bring
a fulness of evidence to the settlement of any doubtful question
which, even if insufficient to establish a positive conclusion, could
yet hardly fail to result in a just and true view of the matter in
its bearings and relations. By this means he banished techni-
calities and subtleties, and substituted reality in every discussion.
Behind all that he uttered, too, there evidently lay a still
further mine of knowledge, whose wealth had been used in the
formation of his own views, but which he had not thought
necessary to bring out to light. Glimpses of this were seen
sometimes when a student undertook to question a view he had
presented. In its defence he would bring out from his store a
fresh amount of evidence or information, and again more and
more, until either the point became clear to the student's mind
or else it appeared that he did not care to be convinced. In

284 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

either case the flow of information was then arrested, not appa-
rently from any exhaustion of his resources, but only because
the occasion did not call for the use of more. He was certainly
tenacious of his own views, for he had adopted them carefully,
after impartial and thorough investigation ; but this tenacity was
consistent with the utmost charity of opinion. So far from being
arbitrary or dogmatic, he had, except in regard to the very fun-
damentals of the faith, that rare liberality which is really content
to have others hold with equal tenacity views differing from one's
own. He was somewhat fond of argument with those with whom
he was on intimate terms, using it as a means of bringing out
both sides of a question and obtaining a fair view of it in all its
bearings. He would even sometimes, with very intimate friends,
for the same purpose, take up and maintain the side opposite to
that which he really held, although probably this was only done
when he thought there could be little risk of having his true
opinions misunderstood. With his students, however, he argued
the point in question so calmly and candidly, that the result was
conviction, or at least, a genuine respect for the view he advo-
cated. Such, however, was the symmetry and comprehensive-
ness of his own mind that except with students, for whose right
opinions in the main he naturally felt a certain degree of respon-
sibility, or with very intimate friends, he seldom thought it
worth while to combat peculiar views if not utterly incompatible
with essential soundness of belief.

His highest qualification for the office of an instructor in
theology lay in his own holiness of character, and the reality
which all religious truth possessed to his own mind and heart.
It was evident that in this, as in all other things, his model was
the example of his Divine Master. His patience, his forbearance,
his charity ; his tenderness and sympathy ; his unmistakable
earnestness and devotion ; his conscientiousness in his work, and
his evident love for others and desire to help them to occupy the
same broad, generous and loving stand-point with himself; his
high sense of honor, with his uprightness and integrity ; these
gave a confidence in the man and inspired an affection which
were insensibly transferred to the instructor, and predisposed
those whom he taught to look to him with reverence and to re-

^S A TEACHER. 285

ceive his instructions with avidity. This feeling was strengthened
by experience of the extraordinary patience with which he bore
with imperfect apprehension and with crude and mistaken no-
tions of any kind. Having sowed the seed, he knew that time
and much culture must be required before the fruit could ripen,
if ever, and he was content to leave the result in a higher hand.
It could not but be that he should encounter in the world some
whose own standard was too low to allow of their appreciating
such a character, and whose disposition was too perverse to re-
ceive any permanent improvement from its influence. With such
persons, after this fact had once become absolutely plain, al-
though his conduct towards them was still marked by uniform
kindness, he attempted to accomplish little. Their path lay in
a different direction from his own, and he would not throw away
effort which must prove ineffectual.

There were other points in the intellectual qualifications of the
Bishop for the work of an instructor, which must not be passed
over wholly without notice. There is apt to be too much of
accident, as well as of constraint, in the formation of a clergy-
man's library, to make it quite just to judge of the man from
the collection of books around him; yet the Bishop's collection,
although not very extensive, was large enough to indicate the
character of his own choice, and no book stood unused upon
his shelves. There were to be found there comparatively few
of the more modern works, while his library was rich in patris-
tics, always in the original languages, in the older commentaries,
and in standard works of English divinity. With these also were
a few of the more important, or more characteristic works of
German theologians, and of French preachers, both in their own
tongues, which he read and spoke with ease. His minute fami-
liarity with the early controversies of Christianity, and with the
works of the principal Fathers, both of the Eastern and of the
Western Church, might perhaps have been expected from one
who had long made them the especial objects of his study ;
although even then it would have been surprising that he should
have retained not merely the general features, but so much also
of the smallest detail, fresh in his recollection quite to the end
of life. He frequently went entirely over the writings of some

286 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

voluminous author, to acquaint himself thoroughly with his views
on some particular subject. Thus within a year or two of his
death he reviewed the works of Tertullian, and copied out all
the passages he met with bearing directly or remotely on the
subjects of Infant Baptism, and the Liturgy of the Church. His
close knowledge of the great writers of the later ages, Alcuin,
Aelfric, and Thomas Aquinas, could hardly have been antici-
pated. He was unwilling to leave himself without an intimate
personal acquaintance with the writings of the masters of thought
of any age or of any school. The sermons of the great English
divines were read and re-read until he had fully possessed himself
of the habits of thought and expression of each. Tillotson, Atter-
bury, Taylor, Beveridge, Sherlock, Waterland, and others, each
stood in his own individuality in his mind. It was the same, too,
with the great French pulpit orators, Massillon, Bourdaloue, and
Bossuet, and to a considerable extent also with such leading
dissenting divines as Owen, Flavel, and Baxter. He had ac-
quired by long habit the power of reading with great rapidity,
and by this means was able to extend his acquaintance over a
far larger number of works than is ordinarily practicable. He
attached much value to this habit, and occasionally recommended
it to others, considering it one which any one could acquire by
resolute effort. It may be doubted whether this, at least to any-
thing like'the extent possessed by him, is generally possible. For
his reading was not a mere cursory glance, but a mastery of the
matter. His habit of broad observation and of skilful generali-
zation enabled him at once to seize the salient features of his
author, while his equally developed habit of minute observation
allowed nothing of importance to escape his attention. His
work on the Gospel of St. Luke gives abundant evidence at once
of the extensiveness of his reading and the minuteness of his
observation. The same thing was often shown to his students
in his ordinary exegesis, and it has been remarked by them
that, while he neither owned many of the abundant volumes of
recent criticism, nor used them much, he yet often brought out
from the treasures of his own patient labor some of the best
results which they advanced as their own discovery. Yet he kept
himself informed of the critical researches of the best European

JS A TEACHER. 287

and American scholars. He by no means despised the labors
of others, but they were too voluminous and yielded too little
reward for the labor of their study to one who had already mas-
tered the sources from which they drew their results.

With the English Bible, in its exact language, he was so tho-
roughly familiar that he seldom had recourse to a concordance,
a book, which he remarked, that he believed he never owned.
He always knew the connection in which the passage he sought
was to be found, the book and the part of the book, so that he
could find it sooner in the Bible itself than look it out in the con-
cordance. The same disposition which made him thus at home
in the Scriptures themselves, led him to a corresponding know-
ledge of the history of the period between the times of the Old
and the New Testament. A good knowledge of the connection
between the Old and New Testament, founded upon original
sources, involves a considerable course of reading which lies some-
what out of the usual course of investigation. It is closely con-
nected, however, with the subject of the fulfilment of prophecy;
a subject in which the Bishop always took a most lively interest.
With the same diligent research he sought to gather all that could
be known of that obscure period which intervened between the
close of the inspired story, and the beginning of any full authentic
history of the Church. Important as is the knowledge of this
period to every Christian scholar, he was persuaded that much
might yet be done for its elucidation, and it is believed that
he had himself accumulated material in his mind which would
have been of great value to the Church. Such investigations had
given him a singularly firm conviction of the Apostolic character,
both of the polity and of the doctrine of the Church, of whose
highest ministry he was himself a member. Such conviction he
sought to impress upon those who came under his instructions.
He was particularly decided and clear on the fact of the Apos-
tolic succession. On one occasion, a student who had received
most of his training in another religious body, said to him : ' If
a Congregationalist should say to me, ' your idea of an Apostolic
succession in the ministry is entirely unsupported by the testimony
of history, I am afraid I could not refute his arguments.' The
Bishop, in the words of one who was present, replied, as his eyes

288 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

flashed ; ' Then bring him to me and I will show him how the
succession is traced to the times of the Apostles.' He was
equally firm and clear on other points, and he often expressed
his opinion that many of the errors, both in doctrine and in
practice, which appeared in our Church from time to time, were
the result of ignorance of the standard authorities of our com-
munion as well as of the writers of the early Church.

The aim which Bishop Burgess set before himself in his in-
structions was, first of all, truth. He himself belonged fully to
no school, to no party. He looked at every question independ-
ently, considered it on its own merits, and sought to form his
own judgment and to teach others to do so, on this basis. There
is always a fascination to the learner in such candor. Men
generally are easily and often misled even by the affectation of
it. But with the Bishop it was real, and true, and deep. He
was so thoroughly convinced that whatever is not of God cannot
abide, and that whatever is true is from Him and whatever is not
of Him is false, that he ever made reality and truth the one ob-
ject of his pursuit. This gave great strength and power to his
instructions. The student might feel that he was naturally liable
to the same infirmities of judgment, and the same erroneous
deductions from imperfect information as other men ; but when
he came gradually to perceive how wonderfully full and com-
plete was his information, how well balanced and controlled by
the great variety of its scope, and how singly all his life long he
had sought only that which was true, and had ever unflinchingly
cast aside theories and prejudices which came into conflict with
these convictions, he could not fail to give him his confidence.
Yet this love and pursuit of the truth was not that of an over-
confident or self-conceited mind; he united with it a conserva-
tive spirit, and great reverence for the decisions of antiquity.
It was a fixed point with him that unless the word of God were
more obscure than the writings of ordinary men, whatever it had
been understood to say by the great mass of its devout readers
in all ages and in all lands, that must of necessity be its real
meaning. Hence his own reasonings and investigations were
ever guided by the voice of the Catholic Church in all matters
in which that voice had been distinctly uttered. There was no

^S A TEACHER. 289

servile subjection of his own intellectual convictions to this or
any other constraint : but there was such a generous and just
appreciation of the importance and significance and truth of this
catholicity, that with the most free and unfettered examination
of every question, it is inconceivable that he should ever have
been found in the ranks of the schismatic or the separatist. He
looked with apprehension and dread upon every movement that
partook of this spirit, and more than once lifted his warning
voice against organizations within our Church that seemed to
embody and express such tendencies.

The Bishop deeply felt that religious, like scientific, truth can
well afford to court the freest investigation, knowing that the
most thorough research, made with an honest and good heart,
can lead to but one result. As the teacher of natural science
exhorts her pupils to the freest exercise of their own examina-
tion, and yet has no question in regard to the laws in which those
examinations must at last issue ; so the theologian can have no
doubt of the conclusion that must result from a fair examination,
for example, of the evidences of Christianity, or of any other
eternal truth, however searchingly made. It was thus that the
Bishop himself fearlessly and thoroughly sought after truth, and
it was thus that in his instructions he led others to seek it, well
knowing where it was to be found, and that no diligent and
honest search could lead the inquirer to any other result. This
undoubting confidence in the truth gave a delightful openness
and candor to all his teaching. One was always quite sure that
no point would be slurred over that the mind might be led
quickly away from dangerous ground, and that no fascinating
theories hastily taken up without examination would be put for-
ward as truth by all means to be received. There vvas no attempt
to overawe a younger mind by the mere show of larger learning
and superior wisdom. Time indeed could not suffice for a
detailed examination of each particular point of theology, and
none realized more fully than Bishop Burgess that many things
must be taken for granted. But the things thus assumed were ever
the plainest teachings of the Divine word, or those which had
been most fully established by the common consent of the Church
in all ages. He thought that the theological student need not
19

ago MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

set out upon his studies with every foundation of his faith treated
as uncertain and requiring to be established anew ; but that many
truths, such for example as the existence of God and the cardinal
doctrines of revelation, were to be treated as truths, certain and
established, and not capable of being called in question. They
were to be studied to show the reasonableness and certainty of
the ground upon which they rest ; but not as if in any sense they
were still open questions on which it was possible, legitimately,
to arrive at any difference of conclusion. He thus communi-
cated to the minds of others something of the firmness and sta-
bility that belonged to his own. Ever remembering that there
is such a thing as a 'faith once delivered to the saints,' he could
exhort them to hold it fast and earnestly to contend for it. It
must be evident, however, from what has been already said, that
with him and his teaching this involved no surrender of the
freedom of intellectual conviction, nor of conscientious faithful-
ness in the examination of all truth. He aimed at the combina-
tion of personal independence with a due regard for the garnered
wisdom of the ages that have gone before, and above all, with
the profoundest reverence for the teachings of the word of God.

His method of teaching was somewhat peculiar, and resulted
partly from his own habits and mental characteristics, partly
from the circumstances in which he was placed. In theological
instruction his duty was small so far as mere text books were
concerned. The labor of mastering their contents fell on the
student himself, and the examination as to the faithfulness of his
work, so far as it was not left to the student' s own conscience, usually
fell upon others. It remained for the Bishop to give that which
text books cannot supply, to infuse into the students something
of his own scholarly spirit, and to mould their method of study
by teaching those habits of generalization and ready seizing upon
the essential features of a subject which was so characteristic of
himself; and above all to impart to them habits of fairness,
freedom, and reverence, in the examination of every question,
in the constant recollection of the realities of life, and in look-
ing forward to their own chosen work.

Perhaps no better illustration of his method can be given,
than by a brief description of his lectures on Ecclesiastical His-

AS A TEACHER. 291

tory. This was his favorite department. It should be remem-
bered that the students who attended these, studied the usual
text books, together with the Apostolic Fathers, Eusebius, &c.,
under another clergyman. His plan was to divide each century
into three spaces, each embracing the ordinary lifetime of a
generation, and through the whole of which individual men
might have been active in carrying on by themselves, and in hand-
ing down to others who were to succeed them, the work and life
of the Church. A personal chain of labor, of teaching, and of
authority, was thus established, reaching from the ministry of
our Lord Himself down to our own day. Beginning with the
generation who were alive during the Saviour's own sojourn
upon earth, and some of whom knew Him personally in the flesh,
he devoted one lecture of an hour to each of the fifty-six gene-
rations since. The object of the lecture was to give a brief,
comprehensive view of the Church and of the world in its rela-
tions to the Church, during that generation. The individual
actors and writers in each were brought prominently forward
and portrayed by a few graphic touches, while their personal con-
nections and influences were never lost sight of. The hearer
was transported into the midst of the generation described, and
led to look out from the stand-point of those who were then
alive ; to think and feel for the moment with them ; to see what
were their purposes and aims, and to recognize the consequences
resulting from their acts. Amid all the mass and variety of matter
thus necessarily brought forward, attention was especially called
to individual Christians who had personally known and con-
versed with others of the previous generation, whom he had in
the same way pointed out in the preceding lecture, and who were
themselves in like manner personally known to men of the gene-
ration following. In this way a direct line of personal knowledge
was traced from the speaker and the hearer to the very presence
of our Lord. The possibility of ascertaining such a line might
be doubted beforehand; it was accomplished by the Bishop
with certainty and security. Great as is the interest and value
of such a thread, it would seem that in the tangled web of human
affairs it must needs be sometimes lost, and the extensiveness and
minuteness of the Bishop's learning became very conspicuous

292 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

in his ability to trace it out completely. The difificulties were
often great, and especially when the link between prominent
actors of history was to be sought out in obscurity ; but these
he never failed to overcome, and the long chain of personal
acquaintance through all the centuries of the Christian era was
finally established on an unquestionable basis. It was an especial
delight to him when some long life, such as that of the beloved
disciple, enabled him to link two or three generations together
by a twofold cord, and thus, as it were, to bridge over a gene-
ration and bring the one beyond it into immediate contact with
the one before.

In other departments of course this particular plan was not
applicable ; but the methods chosen were equally well adapted
to their end. In all cases he aimed at giving his students a broad
view of the whole subject, and teaching them how to fill in the de-
tail for themselves. He always commended them to original
sources of information, or at least to the writings of holy and
learned men of the past, whose discussions had been proved by
time, rather than to more modern treatises. Indeed he constantly
advised them to abstain from reading the current theological
literature of the day, especially in controversial matters, until
they had obtained some knowledge of the subject from sources
more sure to be free from any controversial bias.

Beneath the kindness, forbearance, and modesty of the Bishop,
there lay in reserve a resolute firmness which sometimes even
partook of the character of severity. It was seldom called into
exercise in this form ; but, when on occasions he was satisfied
that it was called for, no kindness of heart, no shrinking from
giving pain, was allowed to overcome the sense of duty. Such
severity had tenfold effect from the knowledge of the effort it
cost him, and the conviction that nothing short of what he
conceived to be the imperative demand of duty could have
induced him to put it forth. On such occasions the force of
the reproof was blunted by no show of palliation, and the real
kindness with which it was given was to be learnt only from his
ordinary and habitual course. In consequence it was seldom
that frivolity ventured to trifle with the work the student had

a^'-M

CHURCIIMANSIIIP. 293

before him, or even perversity refused to avail itself of the extra-
ordinary advantages of such an instructor.

The result of such a system of teaching, pursued by one thus
qualified, and guided in his instructions by such purposes, it is
not necessary to describe. It is not to be sought chiefly in the
amount of information communicated, although this was often
both large in itself and most valuable in its character ; neither
was its main result in opening up to the student the sources of
knowledge, and familiarizing him with the means and appliances
for its pursuit, although in this respect also his teachings will
always be gratefully remembered by those who enjoyed them.
Even his communication to the student of his own methods and
something of his own habits of study would fail to express fully
the value of his instructions. But he was as an instructor what
he was as a man. The same holiness of life, the same weight of
character which so uisensibly and so indescribably produced a
powerful impression for good wherever he was known, upon his
parish, upon the town where he lived, upon his clergy, upon
his diocese, told with concentrated power upon the little cluster
of students who were brought into daily contact with him, and
under the influence of his daily instructions. The effect could
not but assimilate them, at least in some degree, in purpose and
character to himself. No higher result of teaching can be sug-
gested, no richer reward for such an instructor proposed, than
that those whom he taught should be incited and aided to follow
him as he followed Christ."

XXXVIII.
CHURCHMANSHIP.

The editor feels happy in securing an estimate of Bishop
Burgess' Churchmanship from one who had so good and fre-
quent opportunities for observing it as Bishop Coxe, of Western
New York, and is deeply grateful to him for writing this section.
It assumes the form of a letter to Mrs. Bishop Burgess or the
editor.

294 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

"It is with no ordinary degree of satisfaction that I comj)ly
with your request to give you, from ray own impressions and
recollections, an estimate of what is called the Churchmanship
of the late Bishop of Maine. I have ever held that the school
of Churchmen to which I would refer him, is legitimate and
most valuable in our communion ; although I have never con-
cealed my own opinion that the normal type of Anglican Church-
manship is found in another school, that of the great divines of
the Stuart period of English History. The school to which
Bishop Burgess belonged was that of the Orange period, but not
without something which he gathered from that of Venn, and
Cecil, and Romaine. He was no Calvinist, nor was his piety
that of 'the Clapham coterie,' with its amiable tea-drinkings
and benevolent table-talk. He was a well-balanced conserva-
tive Churchman of the English type, rather than the dogmatic
ecclesiastic of a more Catholic period, holding like Bishop An-
drewes to the Anglican doctrine, with constant reference to the
patristic and primitive standards of the whole Church. Some-
thing more than the Churchmanship of Tillotson, and something
less than that of Wake, with much of the spirit which was com-
mon to both of those eminent prunates, always appeared to me
characteristic of Bishop Burgess.

I say always ; but you must allow me to explain that when I
first knew him he was more like Tillotson, and when I last con-
versed with him I felt that he was quite up to the measure of
Wake.

When I first heard him, in 1842, I was struck with his very
marked character as a divine of the 'Evangelical School.' He
was strictly of that school, and confessedly so; but by school I
do not mean party. This distinction is of great importance in
estimating the man. He could not be a partisan. Independent
thought and great liberality saved him from this ; and could he have
been accepted as the adviser and leader of his brethren in that
school, I am persuaded that it would have been felt most bene-
ficently in the public measures of the Church in this country, and
would have exerted a more decided and a more lasting influence
than its partisan organization has been able to secure for it. In
the nature of things, the positive churchmanship of a Seabury or
a Hobart will be the predominant spirit of a Church which is
forced to assert its distinguishing characteristics, in a land of
immeasurable Sectarianism ; but the spirit of a White and a Gris-
wold working in that Church, is capable of checking the mere
Ecclesiasticism to Avhich a tendency exists, necessarily, where a
conflict is actively maintained, between Church and sect; be-
tween Organic and Inorganic Christianity. This, even in his
earlier ministry, Bishop Burgess seemed to understand. He was

CHURCHMANSHIP. 295

willing that others should assert more than he was prepared to
contend for, and felt that he and others like him had a twofold
mission, not in antagonism to the ' High Church' brethren but
as the complement of their work. It was his chosen part to
show the brethren of Evangelical Sects, how large and liberal,
after all, were the actual requirements of our Church, and how
much they were in accordance with the recorded views of the
Continental Reformers; and then, it was his work and the desire
of his heart to develop the highest type of practical godliness,
in connection with the order and beauty of our liturgical wor-
ship and our ancient discipline.

I noted, therefore, in Mr. Burgess, as Rector of Christ Church,
in Hartford, a strict and conscientious observance of the rubrics
and requirements of the Church, up to a certain recognized
standard, which was beyond that of the practical conformity of
many nominal High Churchmen. He was particularly fond of
the solemnities of Passion Week and Easter, and did not a little to
endear them to his flock, and to commend their spiritual bless-
ings to others.

In the steady round of the duties he prescribed to himself, on
these principles, he was distinguished by a spirit that I never have
seen so strongly developed in any other man : I mean a spirit
of confidence that he was imparting to his people the means of
grace in the way, and in the degree best suited to their souls.
He used to disclaim one kind of pastoral anxiety, which some
assume and others affect, and which others again do really bear
as a heavy burthen, growing out of the awful responsibilities of
the Sacred Ministry ; he used to labor ' in season and out of
season,' 'publicly and from house to house;' and then having
done his best to ' give every one his portion of meat in due
season,' he used to enjoy the belief that God would bless it be-
yond all his hopes and deserts ; and in this confidence he seemed
to have a peace of mind, which was very attractive and not a
little encouraging to those who observed it. He was averse to
experiments, and to all excitements in the religious training of a
parish ; he believed more in the continual dew of God's blessing,
than in thunder storms. He was attentive to his Sunday school,
and exerted himself in Bible class instruction. He was opposed
to less or more than the due ministration of the means of grace
which he had adopted for himself, and which was as orderly, as
far as it went, as any old-fashioned ' High Churchman' could
desire.

When the ' Oxford Tracts' began to be felt in our Church,
and when, at an early period of that movement, some very dan-
gerous elements began to be visible in England and among our-
selves, I certainly felt that Mr. Burgess was disposed, for a time,

296 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

to recoil from his own medium position and to fall back into a
much lower one. In conversations about ' the Apostolic Succes-
sion,' I remember he used to say that 'he attached no import-
ance to it except as an historical verity.' He admitted the
demonstrable fact, and rejoiced that it was preserved to us ; but
he declared to me that he would not hesitate to kneel at a Lu-
theran Table, in communion, and he ingeniously supported this
position, as he does in the ' Strife of Brothers,' a poem expres-
sive of his theories at this period of reaction. I say of his
theories, for, in practice, I believe nobody kept closer to the
j^eneral spirit of the Church, in this respect, though he was cau-
tious as to any inferences against the ministry and sacraments of
others.

After this, and especially after he saw with his own eyes the
effete and unorthodox Puritanism of Maine, I observed in his
conversation and in the spirit of his ministrations, a more decided
testimony in favor of the Apostolic system of our own Church
as the only system to be depended on ; and as a system so
Scriptural, and so generally approved by the great German Re-
formers and by the more moderate English Dissenters, as to
leave a very heavy responsibility on all who reject it. This was
the tone of some very animated remarks I heard from him, in
the summer of 1859, when I met him at Dr. Howe's, near
Bristol. He could not excuse the Methodists for their wanton
departure from the avowed doctrines of their great founder ; he
could not justify their gratuitous separation and their most un-
warrantable perseverance in the formalities of ordaining bishops,
while they deny the existence of such an order. Besides, he
thought their essential differences from the Church so slight, that
the creation of a new division among Christians, on such frivo-
lous grounds, was one of the most humiliating events in the
history of Protestant Christendom. He had no doubt of the
Apostolic succession of our bishops, and he felt very strongly
on the want of candor and good faith which seems to charac-
terize those who dispute it. How can they be indifferent to such
a claim, he argued, or how can they, without bearing false wit-
ness, deny the facts we assert, until they have had the patience
and taken the pains to examine them? To refute them he justly
felt was impossible.

It was now that, in several conversations I had with him on
subjects of the day, I felt that his mature and settled convictions
were essentially those of a decided Churchmanship, combined
with an unchanged devotion to the practical views of the Evan-
gelical School. He had no sympathy, apparently, with those
who are dissatisfied with the sacramental language of the Prayer
Book ; he reflected that such was the language of the symbolic

CIIUR CIIMA NSIIIP. 297

books of Lutherans and Calvinists, and of die AVestminster Pres-
byterians, and he seemed to have a scholarly pity for the weak
objections that are made to our offices of late by a class of good,
but ill-informed men. -He was opposed to the organization of
partisan societies to do the work which the Church has assigned
to her own constitutional instrumentalities. He was a practical
enemy to divisions, and with all his aversion to the Romanizing
faction which he saw in its beginnings amongst us, he made it
no excuse for withdrawing from the general work of the Church,
and he cordially co-operated, to the last, with those brethren of
the Catholic School whose Catholicity asserts itself, impartially,
against Romanism, as well as against Sectarianism. In short.
Bishop Burgess was incapable of any narrow or proscriptive
principles, and enjoyed the large liberty with which the Church
endows her children. He. loved the Reformation in its popular
sense ; Luther's Reformation as well as that of the Anglican
Church, but he saw and loved the distinctive features of the
latter, and did not wholly condemn those who have little sym-
pathy with the confused and lifeless Protestantism of the con-
tinent of Europe.

I have often thought Bishop Burgess had Bishop Heber in his
mind as the pattern of a Bishop, and was content to be such as
he was, or would have been, had he lived a little later. His
piety was in many respects like Heber's; and so was his tone
of thought, in its exemption from vulgar prejudices and in the
liberal scholarship with which it was imbued. There was an
elevation of sentiment about the man, which necessarily enlarged
and beautified his religious principles. His delight in English
history, and his extraordinary biographical knowledge sur-
rounded him with 'a cloud of witnesses,' and a host of friends
among departed worthies, with whom ' he conversed night and
day,' like Southey in his library. He loved and cherished this
invisible society, and allowed it to shape his own disposition and
character. How could he object to this or that which Jeremy
Taylor loved, which Wilson enjoyed so thoroughly, which
Berkeley would have approved ? So he seemed to reason with
himself; and so he lived above the petty disputes of meaner
men, and aloof from the degrading influences of provincial
cliques, and of the half-educated and conceited leaders of pop-
ular opinion. He was a prelate in many respects worthy to be
named with some of the best of those who have adorned the
Mother Church ; but he was a true American, who valued the
freedom and the organic system of our own Church, and who
furnishes an example to all its children, of loyalty to its disci-
pline, and fidelity to its sacred interests, which may safely be
commended to all, and to those more especially who sympathize

298 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

with his 'Evangelical principles,' and admire the tone and
temper of his piety. It will be a proof of utter degeneracy in
the Church, if the simple fact that Bishop Burgess committed
his memory to no factious or partisan custody, does not prove
the greater security for its grateful preservation among Church-
men and among all who love the Lord Jesus Christ."

XXXIX.

LETTERS.

To the estimate of the Bishop's Churchmanship from the able
pen of Bishop Coxe, it will not be amiss to add extracts from
familiar letters, and a few incidents remembered by friends, which
show, on the one hand, his freedom from one-sided views, and,
on the other, his strong attachment to the Church, and his readi-
ness to assert her claims.

These extracts will be given in the order in which they were
written rather than with reference to the occasions which called
them forth.

" Hartford, January g, 1841. I hear that Mr. John Wayland
has become an Episcopalian. It does not much surprise me ;
as indeed I never can be surprised that a man of learning, can-
dor, and devout earnestness of spirit, should be led to embrace
the doctrines and the system of our Church."

"Hartford, July 17, 1843. ^^ to the recent affairs in New
York, I am inclined to think that the exact mode of procedure
adopted by Dr. Smith and Dr. Anthon was unadvised ; but I do
not see how any great harm can be done ; and, for my part, I
am heartily glad that the public attention should be drawn to a
thing which ought to be corrected. We must await their expla-
nation ; but my impression is from what I have already heard,
that in England no person avowing the opinions avowed by Mr.
Carey would have been permitted to receive orders. There is
an article in the last number of the 'Quarterly Review,' which I
have read with much gratification. It is on the rubrics and
ritual of the Church of England, and it pronounces all the
Tractarian doctrines to be virtually rejected by the Church
through its Bishops. As the ' Quarterly Review' has been supposed
rather favorable to those writings, it is pleasant to see so decided
a rejection of all their novelties. I am sorry that we must have

LETTERS. 299

SO much controversy all around us, and perhaps amongst us ;
but it is only one more trial of our fidelity, our meekness and
our unity of spirit. When all shall be over, the Church, I be-
lieve, will remain as it was before; and men will be but the more
convinced that, while it cannot secure its members from human
weakness and sinfulness, it has yet within itself such elements
of permanence in the truth, as belong to no sectarian body.
Bowing in the Creed is an old custom, which I should never
have relinquished, and which we follow generally here ; but I
should not think a formal recommendation of it important, or,
unless under peculiar circumstances, expedient.

After all, there are higher things than these ; ' yet show I unto
you a more excellent way.' "

With regard to some Church controversy he writes : —

" March 5, 1850. However, if we cannot all be entirely of one
mind, we may yet strive together for the faith of the Gospel
against its common adversary. The controversy only reaches
me through newspapers ; we have none of it here, but are content
to lead men to their Saviour, and to preserve many of them from
worse errors than even those of superstition. And God be
thanked for the cheerful hope of that world where we shall see
' face to face.' "

To a former classmate and friend, a Congregationalist, he
wrote : —

Gardiner, May 2, 1851.

' ' My Dear : The change which has been made in the time

of the Commencement throws it precisely on the day of our Dio-
cesan Convention. Of course, therefore, it will be impossible for
me to be present at the anniversary, and to exchange personal salu-
tations with our old classmates, whom I shall assuredly remember
at this season with affection, and with the prayer that much more
than an earthly bond may unite our hearts and minds.

I wish I could have said with confidence that our friend had
indeed become a devout believer. At the same time, it was to
me a matter of great joy that, after having been accustomed from
his youth to the influence of the Universalist doctrines, he should
have been brought, in connection with a pious wife, into a posi-
tion in which he would be more or less affected by a constant
exhibition of the Gospel through the ordinances of the Episcopal
Church. He was certainly much nearer to the kingdom of
heaven, as far as the means of grace are likely to lead us to sal-
vation, than before.

The danger which you suggest is one to which my own con-
science does not tell me that I am very liable. And I confess

300 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

that it was not without a passing sensation of pain that I found
myself admonished by one who should know me against ' laying
too much stress upon the externals of Christianity,' and charged
with 'laying too much upon the term Episcopalian.' A little re-
flection, however, removes that pain. The warning was kindly
intended ; and the time may come when it may be as needful for
me as I acknowledge it to be for some in our communion. But
shall I startle you if I say that you lay greater stress than I upon
externals ? They may be of a different kind ; negative rather
than positive, but I am mistaken if you do not uphold with more
pertinacity the austere, rigid nakedness of one system than I do
the touching and solemn beauty of the other. In this respect,
too, our 'Puritan ancestors' were by no means wanting. My
venerable and pious grandfather, who is the only one of his line
beyond my father, of whose religious character I know anything,
could not bear the sound of an instrument of music in public
worship, and has been known to leave the house of God on its
introduction. Was that an example to be followed ? But that
was the spirit of Puritanism; the piety with which it was joined
was not at all peculiarly Puritan. Or, was that an indifference
to externals ? No ; where they were wrong, let us frankly ac-
knowledge it, and not take it for granted that the ways of our
ancestors should necessarily be more correct than those of the
ancestors of others. If we are to go back, why not to the be-
ginning ? There, I apprehend that the study of early Christian
history in connection with the Scriptures would show you so much
more of Episcopacy than you have allowed yourself to suppose,
that you would cease to wonder at the warmth of our attachment
to institutions, so many of which have come down to us from
times older than Puritanism and than Popery.

I fear that I may have troubled you by this kind of discussion ;
and yet, though I began it, I am not sorry for it. For, it seems
to me better occasionally even to cross the feelings of each other,
than that near friends and relatives should settle down into a quiet
determination never to speak freely to each other on subjects, on
which they look with a common interest, though with views
somewhat different ; as if they could not speak or be spoken
to, without giving or taking offence. In the mean time, be as-
sured, my dear , that the bond which unites us is in my view

ten thousand times more precious than all which can divide us,
while our hearts are really one in our blessed Lord.

Your affectionate friend."

To Mr. Gardiner he writes, March 8th, 1859 : —

"There seems to be abroad, in our Church, as far as I can
judge from the newspapers, a kindling up of a narrow party-

LETTERS. 301

spirit, from which I am not without fears of mischief Whether
anything is intended by much which is said, I really do not
know ; but many people seem determined that the Church shall
be practically divided. We greatly want, under God, able,
large minds in our ranks, thoroughly devoted to the cause of
Christ, and filled with wisdom and zeal. How much do we miss
the Bishop of Pennsylvania ! But there is nothing to discourage ;
on the contrary, never was there a better time to live and work,
or a grander prospect."

His Churchmanship was of the broadest character. He re-
fused to be classed with any party in the Church, and very
rarely used the words High and Low as applied to his brethren;
never except in familiar conversation. "Is this a High or a Low
Church Diocese?" asked a stranger. The Bishop, with great
good nature, said in reply: " My dear sir, we are not strong
enough to indulge in such luxuries."

He never sought to supply the parishes in his diocese entirely
with clergymen whose views agreed in all points with his own,
but was willing to recognize the capacity of a good man for use-
fulness, even if they differed on many subjects. On one occa-
sion, when a young clergyman was proposed for a parish in
Maine, and a friend of the Bishop, anxious that the harmony
of the diocese should not be disturbed, suggested that it might
not be pleasant for him to have so very high a Churchman in
that position, he put aside the objection with the remark that, if
he were inclined to run into extremes he would perhaps do less
mischief in that diocese than in one in which he would meet with
every encouragement.

Yet he could speak plainly, and on suitable occasions did not
hesitate to claim for his office the deference which he would not
exact for himself.

"In one of our parishes a candidate for confirmation was from
one of the denominations, and her former minister, upbraiding
her for making the change, said to her: 'Why do you talk of
Bishop Burgess? I am as really a Bishop as he is.' Hearing this

story, he quietly said : ' Tell Mr. that, whatever he may

call himself, he knows perfectly well that I am something that
he is not.' "

The following extract is from a letter from a former Presbyter
of Maine : —

302 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

"I remember one long conversation with him, in which he
spoke of some subjects of public interest, expressing his views
upon them very freely. It was about the time that the Bishop
of New York issued his pastoral letter in regard to certain irregu-
larities of which some . of his clergy had been guilty. Bishop
Burgess condemned the course of those clergymen in the most
decided language. If he were legislating in the House of
Bishops, he might possibly be in favor of a broader platform,
but what the law of the Church actually is, is perfectly clear ;
he should obey it himself and should require his clergy to do
the same.

We also spoke of the movement looking toward unity with
the Greek Church. The Bishop's opinion was by no means
favorable to it. He spoke of the reported superstitions of the
Russians ; and of the fact that we know so very little of the
Eastern Church. He did not think it was possible, with our
present knowledge, to act understandingly in the matter. I
asked him in reference to the position taken by the Church
Journal, that any individual priest had a right to drop the
' Filioque' if he pleased. The Bishop strongly condemned the
position as false in itself and tending to anarchy."

From one of the Bishops of the Church comes the following
testimony: —

"The unflinching boldness with which he expressed himself,
combined with so much gentleness, often awakened my admi-
ration, and never more than in the trying scenes of the Conven-
tion of 1865."

Another Bishop writes: —

"What struck me was his deep conviction of duty to God and
the interests of the Church ; the carefulness with which he came
to his conclusions of duty ; the unwavering, unhesitating firmness
with which he pursued them ; how little it seemed to him to be
judged of men, when he that judged him and knew his heart
was the Lord for whose eye he chose his steps ; what tender
charity and deep humility mingled with all his thoughts ; what
purity and absence of all selfishness adorned them ; all consti-
tuting, under the light of his clear and vigorous understanding,
a measure of wisdom which has seldom been excelled in this evil
world."

AS A MISCELLANEOUS WHITER. 303

XL.

AS A MISCELLANEOUS WRITER.

The substance of a valuable and discriminating sketch of the
Bishop, as a writer of prose, by the Rev. Robert A. Hallam,
D.D., of Connecticut, has been anticipated by other contribu-
tions to his Memoir. A few paragraphs may be taken.

"Bishop Burgess, as a writer of prose, may in many respects
be looked upon as a model. He drew his words out of the
'well of English undefiled,' and put them together in a clear
and natural order that made them the exact expression of the
ideas they were intended to convey. His terse and lucid sen-
tences never left his reader in doubt as to his meaning ; nor was
the reader ever perplexed by pedantic allusions, phrases bor-
rowed from foreign tongues, or figures drawn from sources with
which ordinary men could not be familiar. All affectation and
pedantry he despised, and the manifestation of it in others
moved him to irresistible merriment. His style was peculiarly
transparent. The thought shone through it undimmed and un-
colored ; and in the thought shone out the man, as sincere as
was his diction. That was characterized mainly by a calm, even,
sustained, rhythmical flow, which made it always agreeable, and
when the theme and the feeling prompted, touchingly beautiful
and impressive. In an age and a land somewhat given to spu-
rious and overstrained expression, he wrote remarkably clean
and quiet English ; and without ever straining after elegance or
force, he rose upon occasions to a lofty and dignified eloquence.
His own pure and refined nature spoke in his words and forms
of utterance. Seldom is the man more distinctly seen in his
writings.

Bishop Burgess did not publish many books. He was too
busy and too much devoted to his official work to give the
necessary time to a department of usefulness, which he might
have occupied with honor to himself and benefit to men. Intent
upon one thing, nothing else was ever allowed to interrupt it, or
come in competition with it. 'The Last Enemy,' a volume of
printed sermons, and ' Pages from the Ecclesiastical History of
New England,' are the only books of prose of any considerable
magnitude.

His ' Last Enemy' is a very remarkable book, unique, origi-
nal in its conception and execution. It is a complete anatomy
of death, and might stand beside Burton's ' Anatomy of Melan-

304 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

choly,' though without the quaint humor of that singular work.
One wonders how he ever contrived to heap together such an
immense collection of facts. Yet this was characteristic of him.
He was a walking magazine of facts. This in many men might
be slender praise ; for the memory that simply gathers facts to
lie loose and barren in the mind is seldom allied to great quali-
ties. But in Bishop Burgess it was praise. For in his mind facts
became alive, and were turned to useful account. They became
the basis of arguments and conclusions, and in carefully consid-
ered generalizations told upon the minds of men with efficient
force. A sweet spirit of pensive reflection pervades the book.
Its Christian doctrine and sentiment fit it to do good to the
souls of men. It exhibits death from the Christian standpoint,
and in terse and forcible language directs man to Him, who ' by
His death hath destroyed death,' and by whom ' The Last Enemy'
is effectually overcome.

His ' Pages from the Ecclesiastical History of New England'
came out anonymously, and its appearance excited much atten-
tion and called forth not a little curiosity and wonder. By most
it was attributed to some Congregational minister who had lived
through the events it so minutely and accurately described.

It was Puritanism in its American phase unmasked, and yet so
fairly and so gently that no charge could be brought against it
either of misrepresentation or hostility. That a young Episcopal
Clergyman — and such then was Bishop Burgess — had done such
a service, men could not easily believe. The Bishop's fondness
for facts and skill in using them showed themselves very advan-
tageously in this little work.

His tract on ' Adult Baptism' has proved a very useful auxiliary
to the clergy in their parochial duties. The evil at which it aims
is rife in a country where, though it is called Christian by
courtesy, so large a part of its people are suffered to grow up
without initiation into Christ's flock, and are taught to think
lightly of His ordinances. The calm good sense that pervades
it, and the happy way in which, while it maintains the claims of
spiritual religion, it avoids the extravagances of sensible con-
version and emotional experience, render it a most valuable
help to the Ministers of Christ's Church, in dealing with those
who either rationalize away the obligation of baptism, or render
it the mere badge of a sudden and violent change of character.

The ' Stranger m the Church' is a simple and judicious explana-
tion of our worship, designed to instruct those to whom, from
want of familiarity with its peculiarities, they are perplexing and
perhaps offensive. It gently removes misapprehensions, com-
bats prejudices, enlightens ignorance, conveys needful infor-
mation, and helps the ' Stranger' to overcome his strangeness,

AS A MISCELLANEOUS WRITER. 305

and make himself at home in our holy places. Few tracts are
more useful to a minister of the Church in dealing with those
cases of awakened curiosity or incipient proselytism, which are
everywhere encountered.

To a higher range in theological literature belongs the Bishop's
admirable charge on the ' Personality of the Devil.' On this im-
portant subject it is an exhaustive and unanswerable argument.
It powerfully and successfully combats the skepticism, not now,
alas, of a learned class, but to a sad extent of the popular mind
also, by which ' the god of this world' is reduced to a mere
imaginary impersonation, the fruit of Jewish superstition. So
Satan disappears and with him vanish responsibility, law, pun-
ishment, a judgment to come, and a future retribution ; and
Christianity degenerates into a republication of the religion of
nature, garnished with a few current names and phrases to keep
up its credit as a sacred system among men. To those whose
minds are disturbed with doubts on these great and solemn ques-
tions, and to the ministers of the Church in their conflict with
the mischievous errors of modern rationalism, the Bishop's charge
will remain an armory whence they may draw effective weapons
of defence and refutation.

An article of the highest merit and value, on the Protestant
Episcopal Church, published in the Bibliotheca Sacra, deserves
to be especially noted. It was one of a series by ministers of
various denominations, and was designed to present the Church
to general readers ; many of whom were already prejudiced
against her. It may be characterized as temperate but decided ;
outspoken yet conciliatory ; with nothing of loose or low views ;
a pattern for treatises upon questions of a controversial character.

' The Last Journal' of the Bishop, pp. Z2>^ written not for
publication but for the gratification of family friends, and pub-
lished after his death, is an account of some of the incidents and
scenes of his voyage for health and for visitation among the West
Indies and to Hayti. It is full of fresh and delightful descrip-
tions, and sweetly notes the uneventful days, which drew towards
the close of an earthly life ever marked by faithful service to the
Lord."

20

3o6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

XLI.

AS A POET.

From his childhood, Bishop Burgess not only wrote verses, but
was a poet. The earliest of his poems which was published was
entitled "The Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul," and was
recited before the Rhode Island Alpha of the Phi Beta Kappa
Society, at its anniversary, September 3, 1834. He says of it,
" It was projected and begun during a short residence in Rome.
Around that mighty metropolis of the earth, the history of all
ages seems to have revolved ; and one is there continually dis-
covering some link of connection between the ancient and the
modern. Such a link I thought I saw in the tradition of the
martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul." This poem, while it
abounds with classical and historical beauties, is full of the faith
which reverences the early years and deeds of the Church, and
of the piety which imitates the early martyrs.

Another poem of some length, entitled "The Death of St.
John," has its scene in Ephesus, but is like the other in spirit
and in style. Except that we were assured of it in a foot-note,
one could hardly believe that this is fanciful in its origin, and
has not a foundation of tradition or ancient story.

The longest of all his poems was written in the year 1827,
shortly after his graduation from College. It is "The Family
Burial Place," and has such naturalness of pious thought and
feeling, that all on reading it have believed it to relate the his-
tory of some family, and to describe some burial place in the
retired parts of New England. This poem was never published
in the Bishop's lifetime.

In the year 1840, Mr. Burgess, then a Rector in Hartford,
wrote and published " The Book of Psalms, translated into Eng-
lish Verse." Twenty years later, with the earnest desire that the
Psalms in verse might regain their old place in the public wor-
ship of the Church and in the private devotion of its members,
he published "The Metrical Psalter." Both these, through all
the changes incidental upon versification, hold fast the sense

AS A POET. 307

of the Hebrew text, and have the faith and fire of the Psalmist.
They have been held, especially the Metrical Psalter, by the
most searching of the critics of our land and of England, to be
among the very best of all the poetical versions of the Psalms
ever published.

During the latter part of his residence in Hartford, about the
year 1844, he published anonymously a poem in two parts, called
" The Strife of Brothers." Its title and date, while yet the ex-
citement about the Oxford Tracts was fresh, show its design.
Catholicus and Irenicus are presented as contending, with bro-
therly feeling and earnestness ; the former longing for the re-
newal of a Catholicity too much tainted with the spirit of medi-
aeval error, and the latter anxious for the prevalence of views
which seem in some of their phases almost too loose for a well-
grounded creed and an apostolic polity and ritual. The field
remains with Irenicus, and the after life and career of the Bishop
show that, with such peaceful and loving recognition of the
worth and intentions of all Christians may abide positive con-
victions of the claims of the Church, and steadfast loyalty to all
her standards and traditions.

On the 4th of August, 1847, Dr. Burgess delivered before the
House of Convocation of Trinity College a beautiful poem, en-
titled ''The Poets of Religion." In it they are sweetly com-
memorated. In answer to a request for a copy for publication
he wrote, '' Nothing but a desire to advance in any manner the
interests of our endeared institution, and a wish to cherish among
our educated men the honor and the love of sacred and generous
poetry, persuaded the writer to undertake the task of delivering
a poem. Nothing else has induced him to consent to its publi-
cation."

Besides these may be mentioned "The Hours," twenty-four
impressive and graceful verses, one for each hour of the day ;
the short poem written at the time of rebellion and strife in his
native Rhode Island, 1842, set to music, and sung throughout
the State ; the patriotic pieces called forth by the late war for the
preservation of the Union, those which were written for anni-
versaries of Colleges and Schools, and especially the elegant and
inspiring proem of his book, called "The Last Enemy Con-
quering and Conquered."

3o8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

The Bishop, though appreciating poetry in every form, never
wrote blank verse. His lines seldom or never offend the strict-
est rules of measure or rhyme. His subjects are pure and ele-
vated, and his style polished and refined. The love of Christ
and the desire to glorify Him are the inspiration of all, and where
these appear not directly, the effort to do good to men is very
plain. The closing stanza of his poem on the "Poets of Re-
ligion" may be quoted as illustrating the spirit which framed all
his poetry.

" THOU, on whose altar all my toils are laid,
Accept e'en this ; this too becomes Thy shrine ;
Thy children come, nor thankless nor afraid,
For all they have and all they are is Thine !
Song is Thy gift : be here that gift divine,
Winged by Thjf love, and chastened by Thy fear,
And while, like setting stars, our lives decline,
Still in the East let purer orbs appear.
And strains that seraphs sing find answering accents here."

Of Bishop Burgess a fellow ''poet of religion" writes,
" Among the Poets of Religion whom he has so felicitously cele-
brated, he has all unconsciously inscribed his own name ; and I
rejoice to believe that when our native land, in due time, shall
have largely identified itself with the Church of which he was a
Bishop, the place assigned him by competent criticism will be
such as shall make his poems no inconsiderable part of the
life-work, by which he, 'being dead, yet speaketh.' "

XLH.
AS A PATRIOT.

A LARGE part of this section is from the pen of the Rev.
Francis Vinton, D. D., to whom this memoir is elsewhere in-
debted.

Those who watched the actions of the Bishop in his early life
and the earlier part of his ministry, and listened to his words.

AS A PATRIOT. 309

were conscious that in him dwelt real patriotism, ardent, self-
denying, constant. A true son of Rhode Island, he sustained in
every emergency the faithfulness and love of his own country, so
characteristic of the natives of that little State.

When the rebellion of 1842 in Rhode Island threatened to
destroy the authority of the government, he penned a spirited
and much admired poem, which was set to music, and sung
throughout the State. Two of its verses are here given. The
references to the seal of Rhode Island, an anchor with the
motto now placed upon our national coin, "In God we trust,"
and to the name of the chief city. Providence, and its founding
by Roger Williams, will be easily recognized,

" O gallant band of spirits true,

Still bear that stainless shield;
That anchor clung, the tempest through,

That hope, untaught to yield !
Fair city, all thy banners wave,

And high thy trumpets sound !
The name thy righteous father gave

Still guards thee round and round !
The land that first threw wide her gates,

And gave the exile rest.
First arms to save the strength of States,

And guards her freedom best.
O ever thus, dear land of ours,

Be nurse of steadfast men ;
A firmer fort than hills and towers,

On rocky pass and glen."

From this spirit he never turned aside. His labor and
care and pen were freely given to whatever might promote the
good of citizen or city, of child or adult, or the cause of edu-
cation or of public morals, to the last.

He was accustomed to cast his vote in all national elections,
and sometimes in important municipal elections. He was in-
terested as a Christian citizen, that the officers of the State, in
all its departments, should be Christian men. His letter to Mr.
R. H. Gardiner, of Gardiner, his home during his episcopate,
urging him to accept the honorable office of Mayor, at the in-
auguration of the city government, testifies to his judicious con-
cern in public affairs.

3IO MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Feb. 4, 1850. ''Will you permit me to add the expression of
my earnest wishes to that of the great body of our citizens, and
especially of the better and more thoughtful amongst them, that
you may still be induced to accept their call to the office of their
Mayor? It really seems, on historical grounds, hardly to be tole-
rated, that Gardiner should be made a city during your lifetime,
and you, every way the person best qualified in other respects,
not to be recorded as the first holder of this office. The desire
of the citizens to give it to you, ought at least to appear here-
after ; but this, although a consideration of real importance, is
but the smallest.

Probably the character of our new city may not a little depend
on the auspices under which it is started. It may take a kind of
type for many years from the spirit and the persons that may pre-
side during the first year. It is of great importance that our best men
should be willing to discharge the necessary offices, and not per-
mit them to pass into the hands of those who have only narrow
views, or ^selfish and time-serving purposes. If you are Mayor,
there is no citizen who will not be willing to take office under
you ; but should some gentleman be elected to the first seat in
the municipal magistracy who very possibly may be if you de-
cline, there may easily be a general shrinking from participation
in the government. A mean or partisan spirit may prevail in the
city councils ; an indifference with regard to the best interests
of the community ; and many years may pass before the im-
pression thus fixed upon the character of the place can be '
removed.

It is true that I seem to be rather travelling out of my own
sphere in speaking of such subjects ; but my earnest desire for
the promotion of all the highest interests of the community, and
the fact that men of all parties are united in the wish, may ex-
cuse the interference."

But the patriot in the councils of the Church demands chiefest
memorial.

In the crisis of the late Civil War, Bishop Burgess evinced the
characteristics of his boyhood while he illustrated his views of
the relations between the Church and the State.

The State was assailed ; the Union was threatened ; the life of
the Nation was in jeopardy. Bishop Burgess instinctively came
to the rescue of his country, battling against rebellion, not with
carnal but with spiritual weapons, mighty through God, to the
pulling down of strongholds. He abhorred that theory of the
Church which so lifted her above the world as to deprive her

AS A PATRIOT. 311

of sympathy in human, secular concerns. She was not " of this
world" by the token that she "was not from hence," in her
origin and her authority. But as a divine society, and "the
kingdom of heaven" in earth, she touched man in all his inter-
ests, in all his aims, in all his motives, in all his duties ; direct-
ing and sanctifying them, lifting them out of earthliness to holi-
ness. While, therefore. Bishop Burgess would ever render unto
God the things that are God's, so likewise he would render
unto Caesar the things that are Csesar's.

In the great rebellion he discerned the powers in the State,
" ordained of God," to be profanely threatened. He had ever
evinced earnest fellowship with the lawful authority of his native
and adopted States, and now, when the larger interests of the
people and of generations to come, were jeoparded by the
southern rebellion, he could not but be roused with sacred ardor,
as intense as his calm nature could express, to vindicate the
union of the States of the nation and to inculcate the obligations
of all Christians to defend their country, by prayer, by firm-
ness, by speech, by writings uttered in love, and, if need be, by
the stern arbitrament of arms.

Accordingly, he was among the foremost in the House of
Bishops, in the General Convention of 1S62, to recommend a
Pastoral Letter, which should teach the people and the Church
their imminent obligations to their country. The majority of
the lower House were in sympathy with the Bishops. Yet, there
was a minority of both Houses who were outspoken and earnest
in deprecating any political action by the General Convention.

Bishop Burgess endured his share of obloquy, erect in the con-
sciousness of right. And during that fearful war he maintained
the integrity of his convictions with a charming serenity and with
exemplary courtesy.

The General Convention of 1865 met in Philadelphia just
after the war was ended. Two of the Southern Bishops appeared,
with a few deputations in the lower House, who were received
with warm welcome by the Bishops, Clergy, and Laity. It is
worthy of remembrance that, in the General Convention of
1862 in New York, pews were assigned to the absent deputa-
tions, and their dioceses were called by the Secretary in the faith

312 AIEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

of unity, and as though no disruption of the Church had really
occurred.

That Convention, through the Bishops, had also appointed a
day of fasting and prayer, and in the form set forth, God was
invoked, to the effect that He would bring back our misguided
fellow-citizens to a better state of mind, and that He would grant
that the authority of the general government should be extended
over all the land.

At the Convention in 1865, after the cessation of war, the
names of the Southern dioceses were again called, to which
North Carolina, Tennessee, and others present answered by
their deputies. On the second day of the session Bishop Bur-
gess presented resolutions appointing a day of thanksgiving and
praise to the Lord, who had answered the prayers of the Church,
had restored in all the land the authority of the National Govern-
ment, had re-established the unity of the Church and had con-
ferred other mercies. These resolutions were later referred to
the five senior Bishops.

At the eighth day's session the Presiding Bishop submitted the
report from the Special Committee on a day of Thanksgiving,
agreeing with these resolutions, which is quoted at length upon
pp. 255 and 256 of this memoir. The report was adopted.

It was evidently most fitting that the Church in council should
thank God for the happy issue which the Church in council had
prayed Him to grant.

Yet, when the Bishops of North Carolina and of Arkansas
begged leave to be absent from the proposed assemblage for
Thanksgiving, on the ground that they had not joined in the
prayers at the last Convention, and that their presence at the
thanksgiving might compromise them with their Southern breth-
ren, who were not as yet fully reconciled to the supremacy of
the authority of the United States ; instead of excusing them, the
House of Bishops amended the report of their Committee by
striking out the political topic of thanks "for extending the
authority of the general government over our whole land." On
this condition the Southern Bishops joined in the offices of thanks-
giving.

When the message from the House of Bishops reached the

JS A PATRIOT. 313

lower House, a spirited and persistent effort was made to ask
the Bishops to include the political topic in the subjects for
Thanksgiving.

The Christian consistency of thanking the Father of all mer-
cies for granting what the Church had prayed for, was an argu-
ment at once pious and unanswerable. But the fond desire of
conciliating the Southern brethren, and of evincing the reunion
of alienated dioceses, was paramount to the motives of Christian
consistency. Those deputies who were on principle averse from
introducing any political allusion to the State, either in prayers
or thanksgiving, were reinforced by those who would remove
every impediment to a cordial and immediate acquiescence of
our Southern brethren, so that a large majority voted the pro-
position down. The House of Bishops were accordingly not
requested by the lower House to reinstate the political topic in
their proposed thanksgiving. Bishop Burgess was prominent in
protesting against the mutilation of the resolution reported by
the Committee of the House of Bishops, urging, with his great
power, the arguments of duty to God, and of justice to the nation,
while he was second to no one of his peers in mercy and loving
kindness towards his brethren and fellow-citizens of the South.

It is difficult to repossess the warmth of past emotions, or to
realize the strength of passion excited in a debate, after the con-
troversy is extinguished. We saunter amidst the embers of a
conflagration and turn over its ashes, without a due conception
of the flames that produced them.

The opposition to the protest of Bishop Burgess and his col-
leagues in the House of Bishops was positive and pertinacious.
Time and God's grace and the happy continuance of union in
the Church and the country, have allayed the passions and
sweetened the acrimony of the contestants.

Bishop Burgess parted with his brethren, never again to meet
them in council, with sweet benignity and conscious rectitude.
He bore all reproaches meekly, while he received applause with
characteristic modesty. His action in the House of Bishops was
freely discussed, and by some misrepresented. But he was ever
ready to explain and to justify the reasons of his course to all
who had a right to inquire of him.

314 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Some extracts from the correspondence of Bishop Burgess,
during the terrible strife of brothers in our land, well and truly
illustrate the subject of this Section.

"Feb. 28, 1861. The destinies of our country are in higher
hands ; and it seems to me that, thus far, God has wonderfully
prevented the consequences which might have been expected, as
both natural and just. I cannot feel that the people of the North
have much cause to accuse themselves, and a good conscience
makes men strong in evil times. We have sinned much, but not,
I do believe, in our reluctance to sustain or extend the dominion
of the system of slavery. At present, the prospect seems some-
what more hopeful ; and I do not give up the idea of a full
reunion within a year or more. The Church must doubtless fol-
low the States."

The same patriotic feeling pervades every line of the follow-
ing letter. Informed of the fall in battle of a gallant young man.
Major of one of the first enrolled regiments from Maine, he
wrote : —

Gardiner, June 5, 1S62.
" My Dear Mrs. S. :

Rev. Mr. Durell has informed me that he discharged the sor-
rowful duty of bringing to you the tidings which at this time you
most dreaded to receive. They could not be quite sudden to
you, since you knew that there had been a battle with great loss
of life, and knew the gallant determination of your son to do his
duty to the utmost. But he had been saved through great perils
before ; and you had no more cause for special apprehensions
than hundreds besides; and I suppose that such a blow cannot be
materially lightened by the circumstances of the intelligence.

I almost tremble to think of your loss, too, when I remember
how recently you have spoken to me with such affectionate pride
and maternal confidence, of his career, of his letters, of his prin-
ciples, and of his love. All that made him so dear to your heart
only adds to the severity of your bereavement ; and yet it brings
also comfort such as nothing else could give. You have lost one
of whom you will never think with pain except because he is
gone so early. No shame or stain rested upon him ; he had
done great honor to his family, his education, and his State and
Country ; and he died in the best cause in which a patriotic man
could expose himself to the perils of war. All the honor which
is ever paid to the departed will attend his memory ; and his
name will be written on one of the brightest though saddest pages
in the history of his native land.

AS A PATRIOT. 315

He was hardly known to me except through what I have heard
from your lips, and through the general testimony to his brave
and soldierly conduct. But your own statements had given me
such an impression of his worth that I can deeply feel with you
and with his brothers. I was deeply struck with your account
of his calmness, resolution, and preparation on the eve of danger
and of battle ; and it gratified me to hear of his earnest attach-
ment to the Church and his pleasure in its worship. Many a
thought of early death had been in his mind within these few
months of peril. You mentioned that he was accustomed to
arrange all things before a battle, so that all might be order if
he should fall. I trust that, in the depths of his heart, he com-
mitted himself to the mercies of God through his Redeemer. It
must have been so, it would seem, with one so thoughtful and so
earnest in his earnest work.

' Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends.' It is in behalf of us all that these brave
young men have been willing to expose and, if it pleased God,
to lay down their lives. They stood between us and the terrible
calamities which have overhung our country and threatened its
destruction. They have died, that all which we enjoy might be
preserved for those who shall come after us. ' Greater love hath
no man than this.' I cannot believe that any one who dies thus
at the post of duty, for the sake of his brethren, would have been
a gainer by living longer. The hairs of their head were all
numbered by Him who best knows the time when each may
most fitly be removed, and most kindly.

To Him and His grace, my dear Mrs. S., I commend you and
your sorrows. It is little which we can do for one another under
afflictions like this ; but there is something in the true expression
of sympathy, in the assurance of respectful remembrance of the
departed, and in any words which point us to the ' God of all com-
fort.' All who have known your son and his home, and all who
feel the debt of our country to its noble defenders, give you their
sympathy, and hold his memory in their affectionate and grate-
ful reverence. May God afford you His own still better conso-
lations, and open to you the clear prospect of those scenes of a
brighter, better country, where 'there shall be no more death!'

I am, my dear madam,

Very sincerely yours."

The next letter of the Bishop seems almost to require that of
Rev. Mr. Bacon to the Editor for its full explanation. It is,
therefore, inserted.

3l6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

New Orleans, December 31, 1866.
"Rev. a. Burgess, D. D.

Reverend and Dear Sir : I have seen lately a request pub-
lished for the sending to you of any letters of Bishop Burgess of
general interest, to be used in preparing a biography of him.
Though my acquaintance was but slight I had long regarded him
with great admiration and reverence as the first man, take him all
in all, in our American Church. It has occurred to me that the
inclosed letter, which I treasure very carefully and beg may in
no case fail of being returned to me, might be of value as show-
ing his 'meekness of wisdom,' in treating of the very delicate
questions which arose in the Church during the late terrible
troubles. I can see now that he was wiser than I, about what I
had the opportunity to know much better. Perhaps one in the
midst of this terrible whirl of passion and conflict might plead
his very proximity to its facts, as an excuse for his misapprehend-
ing of them.

Then again, when it so happened by God's Providence that I
stood really alone in this Diocese, in adhering without a moment's
waver to the National Church, such words of sympathy and good
cheer as were in that letter, were a great comfort in the midst of
the painful estrangement of beloved brethren, and the crushing
isolation of the soul. It was balm upon a bleeding heart.

Thanks be to the Lord the Saviour ! unspeakable thanks that
things have been already put in such a beautiful train of recon-
ciliation and restored love among brethren in the Church, what-
ever disorders may prevail in the State. Our new Bishop is full
of the spirit of ' truth, unity, and concord.' I am sure you will
be glad to know this from the Southwest in your Northeastern
corner of the Church; though I intended only to introduce the
inclosed letter, and beg that if you don't think it of use for your
purpose you will immediately inclose it ; and if you think other-
wise, return it as soon as possible for fear of loss.

Your brother in Christ,

Thomas S. Bacon."

Gardiner, February 23, 1S63.
"Rev. Thomas S. Bacon:

Reverend and Dear Sir : I have received and read with
much interest your circular and the annexed letter, in which you
ask not only prayers and sympathy, but emphatically counsel.
Conscious as I am of the importance which, in such circum-
stances, may be attached to the expression of opinion, I cannot
hesitate to communicate my own in reply to such a request, small
as may be the intrinsic value of any sentiments of mine.

AS A PATRIOT. 317

It appears to me that your position is entirely riglit, with a
single exception. That exception is where you call upon mem-
bers of other congregations of the Church, who are not satisfied
with the changes made in the Liturgy, to join you. I doubt
whether they form an adequate cause for separation from one's
Parish and Minister. But, otherwise, I think that your ground
is that which should be occupied by every clergyman in New
Orleans.

It is not for the Church to decide who shall be the rulers of
the land. The Church prays for them when their authority is
settled, and continues to pray for them till it is quite overthrown.
To cease praying for them before this, is to take part in the
revolt against their authority, unless you act under force.

There is no question that New Orleans is now a city in the
possession of the Federal Government. If you dare to take, as a
citizen, the position of allegiance to that government, certainly
no ecclesiastical relation to the Diocese of Louisiana can inter-
fere with your full use of the Book of Common Prayer, as you
promised at your ordination. Let others find excuses for their
conduct ; yours demands none.

I can only ' counsel' you, my dear brother, to walk with great
prudence, circumspection, and firmness, and wait till the good
hand of God shall reveal the issue. Should it be as I trust and
believe it will, that Louisiana and the Mississippi shall still be
strongholds of the power of the United States for coming ages,
you will be gratefully remembered hereafter for this good service
to the sacred cause of our country, and for your manly resist-
ance to the wicked effort to throw the influence and voice of the
Church into the scale of the rebellion. May God strengthen
you and uphold you till the day of concord and restoration !

I am, very sincerely,

Your brother in Christ."

But this kind of correspondence was not confined to those who
could claim even "a slight acquaintance with the Bishop."

Soon after his return from the Convention of 1865, he received
a letter from a clergyman in Virginia, asking an explanation of
the course pursued by the minority. If it were thought right to
insert his whole answer, it would add to the general interest, but
respect for the wish expressed by the Bishop in the concluding
paragraph, has led to large omissions.

Gardiner, December 7, 1865.
"Reverend and Dear Sir: I thank you for the very honor-
able confidence in me which your inquiry supposes, and which

3 1 8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP B UR GESS.

you have so kindly avowed. My appreciation of it will be best
shown by a thoughtful and candid reply, such as may really help
to guide your judgment in circumstances so peculiar.

Do not, in the first place, exaggerate the bearing of the facts
themselves. The majority in the questions with which we are
concerned was not all of one ecclesiastical party, and the minor-
ity of the other."

Here follow the names of many, both Bishops and Presby-
ters, who were with the majoiity, though they are ' men never
reckoned as High Churchmen,' and of others, decidedly not
Low Churchmen, who voted with the minority.

" This is sufficient to show that it was no party question.

Then, as a mere fact, let me beg you to ask once more, wherein
the minority violated that charity which ' rejoiceth in the truth?'
Did we purpose any attack upon the Southern members of our
Church, any impediment to union with them in perfect harmony,
any measures of exclusion, any conditions, humiliating or other-
wise ? Did we say anything or do anything uncourteous or un-
kind? The letter of Bishops Atkinson and Lay exonerates us.
I suppose that you and your brethren have far too much manli-
ness to wish to be soothed and caressed, or to think or speak
much of 'feelings,' whether flattered or wounded, at a time of
such great issues. Perhaps you will even agree with me that,
after the tremendous events of the last four years, a certain sober
dignity might better become our first meeting, than the light and
speedy forgetfulness of friends reunited after some slight mis-
understanding.

It comes to this : that the majority manifested, as you deem,
a kinder and more charitable spirit towards the Churchmen of
the South, inasmuch as they were willing, for their sake, to avoid
every expression in which any citizen of the South could not
concur. I am not disposed to deny that the Evangelical Church-
men of the North, and many besides them, do believe it to be
the Christian duty of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
United States to give a loyal and religious support to the consti-
tution and government of the United States ; and that, one and
all, they hold personal freedom to be a blessing and a right,
which they must rejoice to see enjoyed by all men. And they
had some ground to suppose that their Southern brethren, as
citizens of the United States, would, though possibly with some
sacrifices of personal sentiment, acquiesce in the general acknow-
ledgment of these principles, under which they and their pos-
terity are to live. * *******

No one in the majority supposes any such motive as a

AS A rATRIOT. 319

special affection for our Southern brethren, or a sentiment of
magnanimity. It is not the occasion for any such holiday dis-
plays; and good men, meaning to do justice, to recognize rights,
to show all tenderness and sympathy, yet feel that the close of
such a struggle is not a time for compliments and chivalrous
courtesies. We have maintained the integrity of our country
through these years of bitter war, at the cost of innumerable
deaths ; of sufferings, and bereavements never to be told ; of a
burden of national debt which is felt every hour in its pressure
on all ; of the ferocious assassination of our good President ; of
the vast starvation of prisoners ; and not least, of the woes which
our armies inflicted, and which you still endure. All this was
caused by the determination to sustain, extend, and perpetuate
what your Presiding Bishop calls the ' sacred trust of slavery;'
and his public appeal to the judgment seat against the Northern
Bishops and Clergy as guilty of all, and especially of the death
of that Bishop who took the sword, remains unrevoked. Now
if any Southern Churchman hated the war, and gladly sees
slavery cease, he has a large place in the hearts of all of us, High
or Low ; we all love him warmly. Beyond this, we all desire
the harmonious operation of our Church organization through-
out the land. We know, in the Church, no 'South.' Virginia
is as Wisconsin. The Bishop and deputies of each Southern
Diocese had their rightful places, to which they would have been
heartily welcome. ********

We were all ready to act with all paternal kindness ; we said
no word, and should have said none, that would give unneces-
sary pain. The majority, for the sake of the object in view, were
willing even to humiliate themselves, to shrink from obvious
duties, and almost to accept conditions from those who should
resume their places. But neither they nor we could recognize
any claim on the part of Southern Churchmen, who had delibe-
rately united in the rebellion, to such eager and joyous testimo-
nies of affection on our part, as might have seemed to imply that
it was all the same, whatever course any one might have taken,
and that there was no responsibility, anywhere, for the past. If
their conscience acquit them, well ; but it is not for us to hasten
to assure them that there has been no sin.

The Diocese of Virginia has but one course of duty. It has
always been one of the Dioceses of the Church in the United
States. Wliile the Confederacy was a de facto government the
Diocese submitted, though too willingly, to a necessity. As soon
as the Confederacy fell to the ground, the ' Southern Church'
ceased with it to exist in that character. Each Diocese was
where it was before. There is no need of any return; you are there
already, by right and duty, and have only quietly to conform to the

320 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

doctrine, discipline, and worship, to which each clergyman pro-
mised such conformity at first. To be in a state of separation,
since the fall of the Confederacy, is strictly schismatical. Cir-
cumstances may excuse some little delay; but Virginia, balanc-
ing the question of return, is very like Virginia standing between
the United States and the Cotton States, more than four years
ago, and claiming to be umpire. The vote which the Diocese
may pass may much affect its present peace and honor; but the
ultimate result will be the same. In the mean time, what a piti-
able spectacle would that Diocese present, should it try to go on
as an Episcopalian sect or schism, founded on the violation of
the vows of its Bishops and Clergy, and striving to keep up the
attitude of the great treason in the Church, which, in the State,
no treason could maintain ! How disastrous to the Evangelical
cause, should it be supposed to be identified with any such under-
taking !

As to the rest, my dear sir, leave it to time, to the government
of God's providence, and to the power of His grace. He will
bring us together, as closely as He sees to be good, if we look
to Him with a single heart, and we can trust Him with His truth
and with His cause.

I am not authorized to speak on the part of any section of the
Church ; and have endeavored, while acting conscientiously and
with honest adherence to the truth of the Gospel, not so to be
bound to any party that any independent action could bring upon
me the reproach of abandoning my principles. You will receive
my remarks as those of one who cordially wishes, with you, that
no unfriendliness of feeling may separate those in heart who love
one Lord, and see His truth alike.

As it is possible, also, that others with whom I generally con-
cur, might not be with me in all that I have said, and as my
office might possibly be supposed to add some weight to my
words, if they were repeated in your region, I must desire that
you will not make use of this communication, except for your
own satisfaction. I am, Reverend and Dear Sir,

Very sincerely.

Your brother in Christ."

LIST OF PUBLISHED BOOKS OR PAMPHLETS. 321

XLIII.
LIST OF PUBLISHED BOOKS OR PAMPHLETS.

The preparation of the following list is by the kindness of the
Rev. William H. Brooks, D. D., once a Presbyter of Maine. No
list has been kept of many valuable contributions to magazines
and periodicals.

" Because the Preacher was wise he * * taught the people
knowledge : * * and that which was written, was upright,
even words of truth." Ecclesiastes 12: 9, 10.

1. 1834. The Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul. A Poem
delivered before the Rhode Island Alpha of the Phi Beta Kappa
Society, at their anniversary, September 3, 1834. pp. 48.

2. 1840. A Sermon on the Loss of the Steamer Lexington.

3. 1840. The Book of Psalms, translated into English verse,
with notes, pp. 276.

4. 1 84 1. St. Paul rejoicing that Christ was preached, even
amidst errors. A Sermon preached at Christ Church, Hartford,
from Phil. 18: i, on the evening of the fourth Sunday after
Epiphany, January 31, 1841. Printed by request, pp. 13.

5 and 6. 1843. Two Funeral Sermons.

7. 1844. The Strife of Brothers. A Poem. Anon. pp. 48.

8. 1845. The Missionary Heart. A Sermon from Romans
9 : 3, preached at the annual meeting of the General Board of
Missions, in St. Bartholomew's Church, New York, on Wednes-
day evening, June 18, 1845.

9. 1847. Pages from the Ecclesiastical Histrory of New Eng-
land, during the century between 1740 and 1840. First pub-
lished anonymously in the "Episcopal Observer." pp. 126.

10. 1848. The Stranger in the Church. A Tract, pp. 23.

11. 1850. The Passage into the Ministry. An Address de-
livered in St. Peter's Church, New York, to the graduating class
of the General Theological Seminary, at the commencement,
June 27, 1850. Printed at the request of the Trustees, pp. 18.

21

32 2 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

12. 1850. Great Principles. A Charge (the first), delivered
to the Clergy of the Diocese of Maine, at the Annual Conven-
tion, held in St. Stephen's Church, Portland, July 10, 1850.
Published by vote of the Convention, pp. 17.

13. 1850. The Last Enemy, Conquering and Conquered.

PP- Zl'^-

14. 1851. The Lowliness of the Episcopate. A Sermon (vS/.
Luke 22 : 26-27) preached in St. John's Church, Hartford, Octo-
ber 29, 1 851, at the Consecration of the Rev. John Williams,
D. D., as Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut. Pub-
lished by request, pp. 21.

15. 1853. The Duty of Christian Ministers towards young
men and men of mature years. A Charge (the second) delivered
to the Clergy of the Diocese of Maine, at the Annual Conven-
tion, held in St. Stephen's Church, Portland, on Wednesday,
the 13th of July, 1853. Published by vote of the Convention,
pp. 20.

16. 1853. Preface to the Frontier Missionary, pp. 4.

17. 1853. Sermon preached at the Consecration of the Rev.
William Ingraham Kip, D. D., Missionary Bishop of California,
October 28, 1853.

18. 1854. The Modern Necromancy no argument against the
Gospel. A Lecture (ySi. Luke 11: 19) in the course of Phila-
delphia Lectures on the Evidences of Christianity, 185 3-1 85 4.
pp. 17.

19. 1854. Adult Baptism. A Tract, pp. 24.

20. 1854. Going up into the Temple to pray, pp.12. This
Tract contains the substance of a sermon preached at the Conse-
cration of St. Peter's Church, Rockland, Maine, on the 8th of
June, 1854. The Maine Board of Missions deemed its circula-
tion, in the form of a tract, sufficiently desirable to justify a
request on their part, for its publication in that manner.

21. 1854. A Discourse delivered before the Maine Histori-
cal Society, at Brunswick, August 2, 1854. 4th vol. of Maine
Historical Collections.

22. 1854. Sermons on the Christian Life. pp. 316.

23. 1856. . Principles on which the Church has erected its

LIST OF PUBLISHED BOOKS OR PAMPHLETS. 323

system. The third Charge to the Clergy of the Diocese of Maine,
delivered at the thirty-seventh Annual Convention, in St. Mark's
Church, Augusta, on Wednesday, the 9th of July, 1856. Pub-
lished by vote of the Convention, pp. 21.

24. 1857. Catechism on the Church Catechism, pp.267.

25. 1859. The Personality, Kingdom, and Power of Satan.
A Charge (the fourth) delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of
Maine, in Grace Church, Bath, at the Annual Convention, July
13, 1859. Published by vote of the Convention, pp. 23.

26. The Love of Zion. A Sermon (T'j-rt/w 122 : 9) preached
in St. James' Church, Richmond, on Thursday, October 13,
1859, at the Consecration of the Rev. Henry Benjamin Whipple,
D. D., as Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Dio-
cese of Minnesota. Published by request of the Deputation from
Minnesota, pp. 15.

27. i860. To represent and fulfil the Divine promises, the
design of the Church's existence. A Sermon {Acts 2 : 39)
preached in Trinity Church, Boston, on Wednesday, September
12, i860, at the admission of the Rev. Frederick D. Huntington,
D. D., to the Holy Order of Deacons. Published by request of
the Clergy present, pp. 20.

28. i860. The character which is the just end of a true edu-
cation. An Address delivered at the Anniversary of Miss Dra-
per's Seminary, in Christ Church, Hartford, Connecticut, June
21, i860. Published by request. Two editions, pp. 22.

29. i860. The Secondary Benefits of the Prayer Book. A
Sermon {Deut. 31: 19) preached at the Anniversary of the
Bishop White Prayer Book Society, on Sunday, October 14,
i860, in St. Luke's Church, Philadelphia, pp. 18.

30. 1861. The Hours. A Poem. pp. 24.

31. 1862. The Value and Efficiency of the Ministry. A
Charge (the fifth) delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of
Maine, in Christ Church, Gardiner, at the Annual Convention,
July, 9, 1862. Published by vote of the Convention, pp. 22.

32. 1862. Who was Richard Seymour? and why should he
be remembered with honor? Address at the Popham Celebra-
tion, August 29, 1862. pp. 4.

324 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

33. 1862. The Nobleness of Theological Studies. An In-
augural Discourse delivered at the opening of the Divinity School
of the Protestant Episcopal Church, at Philadelphia, in St. Luke's
Church, on Monday, September 29, 1862. pp. 22.

34. 1862. Christian Books. A Sermon {^Isaiah 28: 10)
preached in Trinity Chapel, New York, before the General Pro-
testant Episcopal Sunday School Union and Church Book So-
ciety, pp. 23.

35. 1864. Sermon on the Death of the Hon. Robert H.
Gardiner.

36. 1864. The American Metrical Psalter, pp. 284.

37. 1865. An Address delivered in Christ Church, Hartford,
at the Funeral of the Rt. Rev. Thomas Church Brownell, D. D.,
LL. D., third Bishop of Connecticut, January 17, 1865. Pub-
lished by request of the Bishops and Clergy present, pp. 16.

38. 1866. Last Journal, from December 27, 1865, to April
20, 1866, with an Introduction by the Bishop of the Diocese of
Delaware (A. Lee), pp. "^z-

39. 1867. A Letter to a Preacher of Universalism. pp. 54.

40. 1868. Poems, with an Introduction by the Bishop (A.
C. Coxe) of Western New York. pp. 276.

" This man was instructed in the way of the Lord : and being
fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of
the Lord." Acts 18: 25.

XLIV.

STUDENT AND HONORARY DEGREES.

The degrees of Bachelor and Master of Arts were taken by
Mr. Burgess in course in 1826 and 1829. In 1845, ^^ degree
of Master was conferred upon him by Trinity College. In 1847,
in August, from Union College, and in September, from Brown
University, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity. This
degree was subsequently conferred by the Bishop's College, See
of Quebec.

THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP DOANE. 325

XLV.
THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP DOANE, OF NEW JERSEY.

A MEMOIR of Bishop Burgess cannot rightly omit a statement,
with some detail, of his share in the proceedings indicated by
the subject of this section. His Episcopate was spent in efforts
to strengthen the outposts of the Church, and to increase their
numbers. Except at the sessions of the Board of Missions, and
of the authorized societies of the Church, and in the House of
Bishops, he was seldom met, in his Episcopal character, outside
of his own Diocese. The marked exception was when he took up
the painful duty laid before him of investigating reports against
a brother Bishop, and of presentment under the Canon. This
was the only portion of his official career which exposed him
to severity of criticism. Fifteen years have passed since the
events, and his blameless life has proved him incapable of the
unworthy motives imputed to him. Yet the voice of censure and
opprobrium has been publicly renewed within a few years. It
is proposed, with as little revival, as possible, of anything thac
will give offence, to show that this exception to the otherwise
undisturbed flow of his Episcopate, was no exception to its emi-
nently upright and judicious character.

This section has been carefully prepared and kindly furnished
by the Rev. John Cotton Smith, D.D., Rector of the Church of
the Ascension, New York, who was ordained Presbyter by Bishop
Burgess, and for some years was Rector of one of the larger
parishes in Maine.

" Were the subject proposed for consideration in this section,
entirely disconnected from bitter controversies, were there no
interests of reputation and character involved, and were there
no feelings, which anything but the most delicate and reserved
treatment of it would deeply wound, it would be easy to show
how strikingly the course of Bishop Burgess, in the whole con-
duct of this matter, illustrated the firmness, the wisdom, and the
gentleness by which he was distinguished. Regard for personal
feeling would not excuse its entire omission. To treat it in such

326 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

a .way as to do full justice to Bishop Burgess, would be impossi-
ble, without reviving disputes that are now at an end, and re-
opening a question which, so far as most of the principal actors
are concerned, has already had its solemn settlement in another
world. On the other hand, to treat it in such a way as to war-
rant the impression that Bishop Burgess was hasty in judgment,
inconsiderate in action ; mistaken in principle, or unkind in
temper, would be unfaithful to him, and exhibit untruly some of
the most important features of his character. The present writer,
sensible of these various and almost contradictory obligations,
would endeavor so to treat the subject as to be both charitable
and just. Should the result be wanting in any degree, in his-
toric fulness and fidelity, it may, perhaps, be characterized by
more of that spirit which 'hopeth all things' and 'thinketh no
evil.'

In August, 1 85 1, four laymen of the Diocese of New Jersey,
Vestrymen in their respective churches, united in a request to
three Bishops, of whom Bishop Burgess was one, that such pro-
ceedings as they might deem necessary, should be instituted, in
view of various reports which prevailed, injuriously affecting the
reputation of the Bishop of that Diocese. Two years previously
these reports had been the subject of a resolution of inquiry in
the Convention of New Jersey. The resolution was lost, no one
voting in the affirmative. With the passage of two years the
reports had not lessened, but continued painfully to agitate the
Church. The Bishops who finally acted in the case. Bishops
Meade, Burgess, and Mcllvaine, felt that inquiry had become
imperatively necessary. The Canon ^^rovided that proceedings,
in such a case, might be instituted either by the Diocesan Con-
vention, or by any three Bishops. These Bishops referred the
matter, in the first instance, to the Diocesan Convention, through
Bishop Doane himself. This was followed by his ' protest, ap-
peal, and reply,' dated February 5th, 1852. A special Conven-
tion was called. The course of the three Bishops was pro-
nounced unwarrantable, and inquiry declared to be unnecessary.
A Presentment, with charges principally in regard to pecuniary
matters, was then made by the three Bishops, and the time of
trial appointed for the 24th of June, 1852. The Convention of

THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP DOANE. 327

New Jersey, after inquiry and the taking of evidence, on July
14th, fully exculpated their Bishop from any charge of crime or
immorality made against him. After a postponement, which
rendered a second presentment necessary, the Court finally as-
sembled October 7th. Further proceedings in the case were
resisted by the Bishop and Convention of New Jersey, on the
ground that most of the charges had been investigated, and
that they were ready to examine into the truth of the remainder.
Upon this ground the presentment was dismissed ; eight Bishops
voting for stay of proceedings, and six voting against it. Subse-
quently, under the same views of duty, by which they had all along
been actuated, demand being made upon them by more than
ohe hundred and thirty communicants of the Diocese of New
Jersey, the three Bishops made a third presentment. The Court
assembled under this presentment, on tlie loth of September,
1853. The Bishop and Convention of New Jersey still opposed
the trial, on the ground, principally, that the matter belonged
to the Diocese, and that the Diocese had done its duty. Finally
a compromise was sought to be effected between the presenters
and the accused. The presenters declined becoming parties to
any arrangement, and claimed that a trial must take place. An
acknowledgment of various indiscretions, errors and infirmi-
ties, leading to the appearance of intentional wrong and misrepre-
sentation regarding his affairs, having been made by the Bishop
of New Jersey, it was ordered that ' further proceedings be dis-
continued, and the respondent be discharged without day.'

This brief statement of the more material facts in the case
cannot be dismissed without some consideration of the principles
upon which the presenting Bishops acted in these exceedingly
painful proceedings.

Happily the question of the guilt or innocence of the Bishop
of New Jersey is not necessarily involved. Had the trial pro-
ceeded, and resulted in an entire acquittal ; had the utter ground-
lessness of all the charges been shown, still the principles upon
which the three Bishops acted are' perfectly clear and well estab-
lished, and the course which they pursued was the only canon-
ical, upright, and honorable one under the circumstances in
which they were placed.

328 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

The course of the three Bishops in writing to the Bishop of
New Jersey, advising him to call a special convention of his
Diocese for the purpose of investigating these reports, has been
made the subject of severe censure. That reports of a serious
character widely prevailed was admitted on all hands. Whether
they truly represented acts which had been committed, or were
the groundless accusations to which men of strong will and san-
guine temperament, in the carrying on of large operations, are
liable, it is not for us to consider. The fact of their existence
remains. For two years the Diocesan Convention had not thought
it expedient to notice them. It was clearly the right of that Con-
vention, or of any three Bishops, to make inquiry. The Bishops
before whom the matter was brought felt that the interests of
the Church demanded inquiry. There is a manifest principle
by which the three Bishops were governed in coming to this
conclusion. It is true that there are many cases in which
unfounded reports are to be disregarded, and ' lived down' by
him who is the subject of them; but where they are persistent,
and of such a character as to affect the reputation of one in
sacred office, and wound the purity of the Church; where they
are not silenced even by great abilities, or services, or sacrifices,
then investigation becomes necessary for the Church in any case,
for the accused pre-eminently if innocent.

Admitting such reports and such a demand, it is not easy to see
how the three Bishops could have proceeded in their first step more
wisely for the Church, or more considerately for the accused.
Under the Canon for the trial of a Bishop, whether the present-
ment were made by the Diocesan Convention or by other Bishops,
it was expected that a thorough inquiry into the nature of the
charges and the evidence by which they were to be sustained,
should be made. That the three Bishops should, in the first in-
stance, refer the preliminary inquiry to the Diocesan Convention,
was in itself eminently proper, and in accordance with the manifest
intention of the Canon. That they should refer it to a Conven-
tion so devoted to its Bishop as was that of New Jersey, is an
evidence of their disposition to have the inquiry made under
circumstances the most favorable to the accused. And certainly
this devotion, which must be admitted to speak loudly in behalf

THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP DOANE. 329

of the Bishop, justifies also the demand, which the three Bishops
made in the interest of the purity of the Church, that the inves-
tigation be thorough, and with the examination of all the charges
and evidence if it is to become a substitute for their own.

The views and feelings of Bishop Burgess at this period, as
exhibited in the following letters, and especially in the letter to
the Bishop of New Jersey, show how unfounded was the charge
of 'threatening,' and 'dictation,' urged against him and the
other two Bishops.

To Bishop Meade : —

'Gardiner, Sept. 9th, 185 1 : I went up to Boston on purpose
to see Bishop Eastburn, and we made the subject one of very
anxious conference, and consulted two laymen of the highest
Christian character ; one a mercantile man, the other a lawyer.
The result of our reflections, so far as we arrived at any, was fa-
vorable to the course of communicating with Bishop Doane, and
calling on him to present the charges to his own Diocese for a
fair investigation. I am clearly in favor of this course, after hav-
ing studied the question of my duty with most earnest attention
and continual prayer. * * * * . * . * .

Should he refuse to seek or permit a full and fair investigation,
the matter would still be in our power ; and we should then
stand before the public free from all obloquy, and compelled
either to pronounce the charges inadequately sustained, or to
act. In such a matter, I should wish to act only under compul-
sion of one kind or another.

Should this course be satisfactory to you, much trouble will
be spared us, and I suppose that it would be sufficient for you
to communicate with Mr. Halstead, and then to prepare a docu-
ment addressed to Bishop Doane, which we all might sign. But
I should wish, in such a document, very clearly to express our
sense of the conduct imputed by these charges, and even of that
part which has long been made public and not denied, and to
show that no general vote of a Convention, without an ample
and honest inquiry, would be viewed by us as withdrawing the
subject from our hands.'

In a letter to Bishop Meade he writes : —

'Bath, Sept. 17th, 1851 : The letter to Bishop Doane strikes
me as admirably worded and in the very tone which I would
have desired, and which is best adapted to its purpose. That it
will lead him to ask the investigation, I am by no means confi-
dent. But, whatever be the result, this course is satisfactory to

33° MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

my conscience, as one which, while it is faithful to the discipline
of the Church, is the kindest towards him; and it approves itself
to my judgment as adapted to take away all cause of resentment
on the part of his Diocese, and to show to all the Church that,
if compelled to institute inquiry, we did it, not from any motive
of theological or ecclesiastical opposition, but only from the
plainest compulsion of duty, and after every other resource had
been exhausted.

Would to God that our brother would, first in his own secret
chamber, and then before his Diocese, offer that full and humble
acknowledgment of all which has been wrong, as much, be it
more or less, must have been, which might bring peace to him,
and them, and all of us, through our Lord and Saviour !'

To Bishop Doane : —

Gardiner, Feb. loth, 1852.

'Right Reverend and Dear Sir: —

You have already received a document, bearing my signature,
with those of two other Bishops. I trust you will believe that I
signed it with no other feeling than one of simple constraint.
But I am desirous at the same time to do what, were you in my
place, and I in yours, I should esteem the part of a brother in
Christ, and frankly to state the principles which seemed to me
to make this course a duty, and the result which I earnestly de-
sire.

A number of definite charges were laid before me, sustained
by men of respectable position, members of the Church ; and I
was called upon to act as the circumstances might require. If
these charges could be proved to me, a most anxious and solemn
question of duty would be presented, from the very considera-
tion of which I would shrink as long as might be possible. I
wished to avoid it entirely, with all its train of consequences,
serious and disastrous as they must be, whatever were the issue.
But the charges were made, and they could not be passed with-
out notice. Had they been made against a friend engaged in
business, we could not give him our confidence, until they were
answered. Had they been made against a private communicant,
we should feel that his pastor had a right to an explanation.
Had they been made against a presbyter, he would be compelled
to reply ; and I myself have had the pain of pronouncing official
censure on a clergyman who had made himself liable to charges
of a similar description. It is not possible, when they are made
against a Bishop, that they should be received in silence.

Why the subject was presented to me rather than to others,
I had perhaps no right to inquire. Some of our brethren cer-
tainly stood in personal and local relations towards you, which

THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP DOANE. 331

might form an adequate excuse for hesitating to approach a sub-
ject so distressing. I could not allege any such reason which
could not as justly be alleged, by all who had received nothing
but kindness at your hands in their official intercourse, and who
had friends that were your friends.

But, indeed, I am not at all acting as an accuser or persecu-
tor ; and the most affectionate of private friends might ask of
you that which I desire. If I might venture to speak boldly
and affectionately, as a brother, I would say, since these charges
are once made, your character, your honor, the cause of the
Church, the cause of the Gospel, and justice to those who, within
your own Diocese, are offended, all demand some public reply.
But I would also say, that such a statement as is satisfactory to
your conscience in your closet, as before God, should be, and I
believe, would be satisfactory to all. Whatever the facts may
be, I apprehend that you could so state them that no farther
evidence would be sought on any side. Then, if it should be
that in the attempt to establish extensive foundations for a great
work of great advantage to the Church, in the ardor of hope, in
the habitual control of large pecuniary means, and in the absence
of special acquaintance with the course of business, you had been
led into rash engagements, uncertain calculations, unguarded
statements, encroachments on the rights of others, and even at
the utmost into some deceptive evasions, into temporary appro-
priation of funds which were not at your disposal, to the relief
of your grievous necessity, or into careless attestation under
oath ; if it should be so, what could be more worthy of a Chris-
tian Bishop, feeling himself to be in the wrong, or more for the
peace of the Church, or more for the tranquillity of your own
heart in the dying hour, than an open, unconstrained avowal of
all which that heart condemns, and no more ? It would disarm
all accusation. It would place you where every one of your
brethren must desire that you shall stand ; in an attitude which
the world could not misconstrue or exaggerate. We cannot
balance great services, talents, or excellencies, against charges
like these. What is absolutely wrong must be pronounced such
by the Church of Christ, whenever it is called to pronounce ;
and no personal respect, no belief of the general rectitude and
beneficent intentions of the individual, can vary that decision
on specific acts. But when the wrong has been acknowledged,
and so done away, all good men pay gladly the full tribute of
their reverence and love to the excellence which remains, and is
no longer clouded.

This, Right Reverend and Dear Sir, is what my heart
prompts me to say, and while I most deeply feel that, in doing
with others, what I could not with a good conscience refuse, I

332 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

have been an instrument of great pain to you, I do assure you
that it is my fervent prayer that you may possess always the
affectionate attachment of your Diocese, and the respectful con-
fidence of mankind.

I am, very sincerely,

Your Brother in Christ,

George Burgess.'

The Convention of New Jersey, acting upon its own convic-
tions, and in the exercise of its clear right of judgment, having
expressed its confidence in the integrity of the Bishop, and
having re'solved that further proceedings were unnecessary, the
three Bishops, not satisfied with the decision, proceeded to make
inquiry themselves. The result of their patient and conscientious
labor was the conviction that a trial was demanded, and in the
exercise of an equally clear right of action they made a Present-
ment.

The subsequent course of the three Bishops must be regarded
in the light of their claim, the soundness of which it would seem
impossible to question, that a presentnnent having been once
canonically made, a trial must be had upon the charges pre-
sented. No subsequent action on the part of the Diocesan
Convention could withdraw the case from the hands which had
taken it up. The fact that the Convention did afterwards make
inquiry, and did resolve not to present, could constitute no bar
to proceedings under the first presentment, or the second, or
any other which the law of , the Church might authorize. The
Canon provided two parties in order that the failure of one to
act might not defeat the maintenance of discipline. Nothing
but an actual presentment by one of these parties could deprive
the other of its concurrent right to act in the premises. The
case was therefore clearly in the hands of the presenting Bishops,
with the right to demand a trial upon the charges made.

It has been urged, however, against the conduct of the pre-
senting Bishops, that they manifested undue persistency and
disregard of the disposition more than once made of the case
by the New Jersey Convention and by the decision of the Court
of Bishops. As evidence of this has been alleged the fact
that three presentments were made, and that the trial was urged

THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP DOANE. 333

to the very last. It must be remembered that the second pre-
sentment was offered merely because it was doubtful whether the
first could be legally before the Court, since the time of its
meeting had been, without authority of Canon, postponed. The
third was made only when the pressure of evil reports had
greatly increased, and when the illegal and unsatisfactory cha-
racter of the conclusion reached under the second presentment
had been widely acknowledged. As to a disregard of the pro-
ceedings of the Diocese of New Jersey, it must be remembered
that the Diocese was in no sense a party in the case ; and so the
Court finally decided. All that it could claim was the moral
influence which its proceedings might have with the presenting
Bishops to induce them to withdraw their presentment. There
was certainly no good cause for complaint that its influence was
not controlling in the case. The presenting Bishops asserted
that some of the most important evidence of guilt had never
been before the Diocesan Convention. They doubtless felt,
also, that the repeated declarations of its confidence in the
Bishop's integrity, and its zealous adherence to his cause, pre-
vented it, however sincere its purpose, from forming a calm,
impartial judgment.

The ground taken by the presenting Bishops, that the present-
ment, if canonically made, must be followed by trial, pre-
vented them from acquiescing in the final determination of the
Court. It was not unnatural, perhaps, that the Bishops should
be inclined to overlook the fact, that they were convened only
for the exercise of judicial functions. The evident embarrass-
ments of a trial, and some legal difficulties which their former
action, in the opinion of a few of the Court, had thrown in their
way, disposed the Bishops to seek a satisfaction of the presentment
by other means than the strict administration of law. A com-
promise was suggested, the principal features of which were to
be a qualified acknowledgment on the part of the Bishop re-
spondent, and the withdrawal of the presentment. In declining
any such compromise or arrangement, the presenting Bishops
claimed that they had made serious charges against the accused;
that they were in possession of evidence which, in their
opinion, compelled the conclusion of his guilt, and were ready

334 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

to offer it; that the charges had not been tried, or refuted, or
the evidence of them heard, and that they could not be with-
drawn; that nothing but a confession on the part of the accused
could arrest the trial ; that such a confession must be a confes-
sion explicitly of the things with which he was charged ; and
that such a confession, if made, must be followed by the appro-
priate sentence of the Court, with such modifications of penalty
as any mitigating circumstances might demand.

It was the right of the Bishop of New Jersey, claiming, as he
did, to be an innocent man, to have these injurious reports inves-
tigated, and to demand and have trial upon any charges of
offence against moral or church law. There could be no cir-
cumstances more favorable to him for such an investigation and
trial. The imprudences which he was ready to admit, in his
* ventures for Christian education,' would have received the kind-
est and most indulgent construction from all his brethren, and
from none more than the presenters. The distinction which he
made between his position as a man and as a Bishop, desiring trial
in the one relation and resisting it in the other, would seem to be
without reason, and unjust to himself. His rights as a man were
far more sacred than any embarrassments that might beset his
position as a Bishop. Indeed, his position as a Bishop could in
no way be so vindicated and dignified as by his assertion of his
rights as a man. The presenting Bishops felt, therefore, that
everything in the position of the Bishop of New Jersey should
lead him, claiming to be innocent, to forward the proceedings
which they, in behalf of the purity of the Church, had insti-
tuted. While, therefore, they submitted to the action of the
Court as final, they declined to agree to the reasons for which
the presentment was dismissed, and the respondent discharged.

The last order of the Court, adopted by unanimous vote, all
the members being present and answering to the call, was —

' Ordered, That this Court believe the Presenters to have
acted in good faith, and with the desire and determination to
carry out the law of the Church in such case made and provided,
in the painful duty which they have felt themselves called upon
to perform.'

THE PRESENTMENT OF BISHOP DOANE. 335

The Bishop of New Jersey also, in his declaration, on the
files of the Court, says : —

' He has no disposition to ascribe to the three Bishops any
other than just and proper motives in thus addressing him.
(Reference is made to the letter which called out his * Pro-
test, Appeal, and Reply.') But, under the strong excitement
of the moment, he penned a pamphlet, expressions in which,
with regard to those brethren, he deeply regrets.'

There are certain features in the character of Bishop Burgess
which are strikingly illustrated by these proceedings, and to
which brief allusion will be made. He was remarkable for the
most scrupulous integrity in all pecuniary transactions, and re-
garded the slightest departure from this high standard, especi-
ally among clergymen, as a grievous fault. He was, therefore,
naturally most sensitive to any reproach inflicted in this respect
upon the Church, and could not rest satisfied until its honor was
vindicated. Another strong feature in the character of Bishop
Burgess was the firmness with which he adhered to what he re-
garded as principle. Having once satisfied himself that the only
course which the House of Bishops could rightly pursue was to
proceed to a trial upon the presentment, he stood unmoved upon
that ground, and never yielded it to the end. But he was equally
characterized by tenderness towards those whom he supposed to
be in fault. He says in his Journal that he had entered upon
these proceedings ' with a heavy heart but a good conscience ;'
and in a letter to a friend, dated March 9th, 1853, he says : —

' As it will probably be very shortly necessary to decide respect-
ing the further proceedings against Bishop Doane, I have been
very anxious to know' how far his health might really be im-
paired, for I would do nothing which might be prejudicial in
that respect if it could possibly be avoided.'

Bishop Burgess thus expresses his feelings, in a letter to a
friend, at the final conclusion of those proceedings : —

' While the presenting Bishops feel themselves relieved from
a great burden, and are thankful for an issue, on the whole so
much better than they feared, neither of them would exchange
his position in the matter for that of any of his brethren.' "

23^ MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

XLVI.

VISIT TO FREDERICTON.

It was the custom of Bishop Burgess, when he made his annual
visitations to the eastern part of his Diocese, to pass over to the
British provinces, where he made the acquaintance of many of
the English clergymen. In reference to one of these visits, the
Bishop of Fredericton has sent the following communication : —

' ' I had the happiness of a short visit from my esteemed friend
and Brother in Pastoral work, in June, 1863. I need say little
on the personal pleasure we derived from that too brief sojourn
with us. His conversation, always instructive and charming, was
enlivened by racy anecdotes and touches of genuine humor, which
added to its cheerfulness, without detracting from the solid sense
which characterized all he said. To this was added a real
modesty and unaffected simplicity which sat well on one whose
learning and ability were undoubted. Bishop Burgess kindly
complied with my request that he would address us at the Anni-
versary meeting of our Diocesan Church Society. The Address,
since printed in our Report of the year 1864, was listened to with
the deepest interest by all who had the privilege of hearing it.
In the simplest style, without any effort or desire to win applause,
in weighty and well-chosen words, he urged upon us the duty
of missionary work, and rebuked the unfaithfulness and coldness
of heart with which such efforts were often met, and the excuses
made for withholding what was justly due. He encouraged us
by the picture he drew of similar difficulties and trials experienced
in his own and similarly situated dioceses, and he affectingly
appealed to those for whose sake the Cathedral Church had been
built, and who sat under its shadow enjoying the fulness of their
Christian blessings in peace. None of his delighted hearers but
wished that the address had been longer, and it was unanimously
resolved that it should be printed in the annual Report of our
Church Society.

I may add that while the Bishop spoke with the ease and fluency
of a practised extemporaneous speaker, his sentences were uttered
with as much deliberation as if he had been reading from a manu-
script. Long will that brief visit be remembered, and great has
been the sorrow of many among us, that we shall never on earth
listen to his voice again.

John Fredericton."

CHEERFCLXESS. 337

XLVII.

CHEERFULNESS.

As Bishop Burgess has been described in these pages as a
constant student, a laborious writer, a hard worker, and one
who faithfully obeyed the injunction to " pray without ceasing,"
it is necessary to portray also another side of his character and
to show that he was no ascetic. In the midst of much toil, many
discouragements, and frequent afflictions, being called to part
with many dear friends and relatives, he was always bright and
cheerful. It was because he had so largely cultivated heavenly
wisdom, and, spending much time in his closet, had learned to
take serious views of this life, that he felt he could look for-
ward with joy to the life to come; and this joy casting its reflec-
tion over all that might be before him in this world, he was
enabled to dismiss all anxiety and put a childlike trust in his
Father's care and love. A few lines with which he closed a
letter to a friend express his feelings. After wishing him "a
cheerful winter," he wrote: —

" In the goodness of God, heartily believed and embraced,
as it is revealed and brought nigh to us in Christ, there is surely
a sufficient ground for perpetual gladness, even amidst any
sorrows, or when heart and flesh fail. If I may hope to be happy
forever, through the mercy of my Father and the mediation of
my Saviour, by whom my sins are taken away, what cause can
I ever have for even an hour of despondency or a thought of
gloom? So speaks truth, the holiest truth; but alas, our hearts
are too weak for the full strength of faith and hope."

But over and above the cheerfulness which was the result of
his faith, there seemed to be within him a spring of joy and
merriment perpetually bubbling up, and, when allowed to over-
flow, making all around him bright. There was no gloom or
sombreness about him, yet the earnestness of his character pre-
vented him from lingering long on merely the humorous side of
a subject.

A letter, written when he was fifteen years old, has been pre-
served, which gives a humorous and satirical account of college
matters, including an exhibition. The skill with which he
22

338 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

characterized, often by a single word, a whole oration, and the
good-natured severity with which he sometimes disposed of both
speeches and speakers, showed how easily he might have become
a satirist, had not his humor and his quick perception of the ridi-
culous been thoroughly controlled by the law of love, which
afterwards so entirely regulated his words as well as his actions.

But he was always careful that his pleasant sallies should never
wound ; that his quick replies, sometimes so prompt and so
pointed as to deserve to be called repartees, while they added
force to his arguments and life to the conversation, should never
give pain.

But it was in the retirement of his own home, or when in the
company of a few intimate friends, that the positive fun that was
in him was allowed to escape. Then he never disdained to join
in innocent merriment, and, when young people were the ma-
jority, to be one to make up the requisite number for a lively
game. He loved to gather children around him and tell them
stories, not merely such as he thought suitable, on Sunday, but on
other days, stories in which fun and nonsense had a large place.
Children always felt sure of his sympathy and assistance even in
their sports, and if rhymes were needed for a game, there was no
one to whom they would more readily apply than to the Bishop.

The following Valentine, which he wrote some years ago,
would never find a place in a volume of poems ; but it may
serve to show that he could be playful at suitable times. It tells
its own story.

" This morning ere the bell for nine,
Out spake Mamma so sweetly,
' It is the feast of Valentine,
And you must keep it meetly,

" ' And send a token of regard
For Emma, in gay order,
Neat verses, on a printed card,
Within a flowery border.

" ' Eliza, hasten to the store.

And buy us one that nice is,
A dollar would be fair for four,
And one for us suffices.'

"Then spoke Papa, who, grim and gruff,

Had all the while sat reading;
'A dollar would buy food enough,
Which many a house is needing,

CHEERFULNESS. 339

"'That twenty a good meal might taste ;
A quarter, five would nourish ;
And would you pence so many waste,
To send a painted flourish?

•' ' A Bible whole, no more would cost,
Or book for Emma's pleasure.'
Mamma, her hands right meekly crossed
Above her silvery treasure,

" And said no more ; so I can send
No painted flowers adorning
My message to my little friend
On Valentine's sweet morning;

*' But I will wish you joy to-day,
For that long-wished for comer,
Who made your wintry clouds more gay
Than all the fields of summer.

"While in your Father's arms you bask,

I think that he will rather

Spend all that child or wife can ask,

Than close the purse and do the task,

Which fell on my grim Father."

When his mind had been long on the strain and he felt the
need of relaxation, it was a favorite amusement with him to
talk for a little time in rhyme ; making couplets perhaps on all
his friends, and stringing them together without much regard to
connection, for the more absurd they were, the greater, appa-
rently, was the relief to his mind ; or turning into verse some
occurrence of the day. On one occasion, when a member of
the family was in New York, and every letter carried a new
commission to be executed for friends, it was not imagined how
much of the conversation he had noticed, until one evening,
when his voice was heard from his study repeating an imitation
of a comic poem called " Country Commissions," in which he
introduced all the various commissions he had heard. The
family entered into the spirit of it, and when he paused, re-
minded him of others, which he instantly versified, going on
until the list was exhausted and ending —

" If more should occur.

That we wish you to do,
To the errands I've named

I'll still add one or two;
For the few that I've written,

Surely can't trouble you.
With plenty of time

And nothing to do."

340 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

XLVIII.

GATHERED FRAGMENTS.

San Francisco, Gal., Dec. 28th, 1S66.
"Rev. and Dear Dr. Burgess: —

My sister, Mrs. Burgess, requests me to write you any recol-
lections of her husband, the late Bishop of Maine. There is
little I can say which would be of use for your intended memoir.
My opportunities of meeting him were only occasional, and du-
ring the last twelve years my residence on the Pacific coast cut
me off from personal intercourse.

I first became acquainted with Dr. Burgess in 1837, when my
father removed to Hartford and my family became his parish-
ioners. I was then always accustomed to see him on my visits
home, and our intercourse naturally became more intimate on
his marriage with my sister a few years later. I may mention
some mental traits which particularly attracted my attention.

One was, his industry. He was the most untiring writer of
sermons I ever knew. Every week he worked at them as if he was
just beginning the ministry, long after he had a stock far beyond
what most clergymen would have required for a lifetime. When
he removed to Gardiner, on his appointment to the Bishopric,
I asked him how many sermons he had ? His answer was :
' Thirteen hundred ;' and yet, with this supply, every one of
which he might have repeated in the church at Gardiner, he
still continued his labor of writing two new ones a week.

United with this was his writing for the press. With his ' Ver-
sion of the Psalms,' ' Last Enemy,' and many minor works, our
Church community is familiar. He must have left also a large
mass of material which has never been printed. At one time,
he collected all that is known of every Bishop of the Church of
England since the Reformation. The last chapters of this — the
'Accounts of the Archbishops of Canterbury' — were published in
the early numbers of the Church Review. Among the numerous
works he consulted, I remember he told me, he went through
the long array of volumes of the Gentleman's Magazine, to find
any scattered anecdotes of any of those Bishops. In his latter
days he was writing a Commentary on St. Luke's Gospel, which
I believe he finished, and which should be published.

Another trait was, the wide range of his reading and his won-
derful powers of memory, which seemed to enable him to appro-
priate and retain everything with which he met. These gave him
great power in the meetings of the Missionary Board, and in the

GATHERED FRAGMENTS. 341

House of Bishops, where his minute knowledge of Ecclesiastical
History enabled him to produce an array of facts with regard to
the past working of the Church, which his opponent was not
able to gainsay. There was an accuracy about his knowledge
which I never knew to be at fault.

His reading and information often embraced subjects with
which, it would have been supposed, he had no sympathy. For
instance, I have never met an individual as thoroughly acquainted
as he was, with the British Peerage. I will give two little exam-
ples of this. Once, while we were staying in the house together,
I was reading Curzon's ' Monasteries of the Levant,' when I
asked him : ' Doctor, what title is there in the Curzon family ?
I see the author has 'Honorable' before his name.' He re-
plied immediately, with great animation : ' There are two titles
in the Curzon family,' &c., tracing out the two lines as fully and
accurately as if he belonged to the Herald's College. At an-
other time, for some reason, I was interested in the Stuart
rebellions of 17 15 and 1745, and hac^ been reading on the sub-
ject till I thought I was perfectly acquainted with all the his-
torical incidents and the fortunes of the great families who suf-
fered in these attempts. So, thinking I would try an experiment
on Dr. Burgess, I brought the conversation round to those points.
He at once took up the subject, and began discoursing about
Lords Derwentwater, Lovett, Balmarino, and Kilmarnock, even
telling me, I remember, where the present heir of the Kilmar-
nock family was, until I found that with all my previous ' cram
ming,' he knew more about the subject than I did. I mention
these as intellectual traits which perhaps his other friends have
not given you.

I remember, when he was elected Bishop of Maine — an office
which he accepted most unwillingly and only from the strongest
sense of duty, involving, as it did, the sacrifice of leaving his
large parish at Hartford, the only one in which he had ever
ministered — with how much humility he discussed the question.
He drew up in parallel columns two lists, one, the reasons for
acceptance (such as, being a New England man, &c.), and the
other, his reasons for non-acceptance. Li the latter list one of
the reasons was 'personal unfitness.'

While in Europe in the spring of 1865, I heard from home of
his illness and the attack which eventually ended his life, and
on my return in August sailed for Boston that I might visit Gar-
diner. He met me at the station on my arrival, and had I not
been previously warned, I should hardly have recognized him.
I spent a few days with him, and in the only walk we took to-
gether I shall never forget the interest he showed in some of my
literary schemes and the valuable hints he gave. I realized

342 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

then, I believe, more fully than any of the imnaediate family
about him, how ill he was, and urged him, as soon as the House
of Bishops should adjourn, to accompany me to California for
the winter. But he would not take so serious a view of his own
case. We were together for three weeks in October, in the
House of Bishops, and then parted, as I feared, never to meet
again in this world.

I have said nothing of his religious character, his zeal, self-
denial, or devotion, for these traits are before the world. They
formed his life, and all his actions were but their outward expres-
sion. He had a phrase I have heard him quote, which seemed
to reconcile him to every hardship or discomfort — ' God does
not intend us to have a Paradise in this world !' To me one of
his most striking traits was his perfect purity of character. It
seemed to pervade every thought and impulse of his mind.
Another evident trait was his perfect honesty. He was entirely
open and transparent in all he did. His friends knew just where
to find him ; he could be entirely depended on ; and when it was
a point of duty, no one could be more inflexible. He could be,
without shrinking (to use Milton's phrase), ' the sole advocate
of a discountenanced truth.'

Perhaps I cannot give a better illustration of his religious
character than a sentence from the last letter he ever wrote me.
It was dated St. Thomas, January i6th, 1866, and after discuss-
ing the state of his health and his prospects of recovery, he con-
cludes— ' But all is in the wisest hands; and if I am but Christ's,
all things are mine.'

I have thus thrown together a few facts which you would not
be likely to have from other sources. Surrounded as you are
by those who were intimate with Bishop Burgess, and with his
papers in your hands, it is unnecessary that I should enter on any
discussion of his character as a Christian Bishop. ' His works
live after him.' Believe me, yours very truly,

Wm. Ingraham Kip,
Bishop of California."

In connection with Bishop Kip's letter, a few of Bishop Bur-
gess' traits and habits, which have not been mentioned else-
where, may be recorded, as without them the delineation of his
character, which has been attempted in this volume, would be
incomplete.

Allusion has been made to his singular purity of heart and
mind. This was very remarkable. While he thoroughly en-
joyed a good joke, he would not listen to the best story, much
less repeat it, if it was marked by the least taint of vulgarity.

GATHERED FRAGMENTS. 343

Even when a boy, lie would not hear an indecent or coarse tale
or allusion, for it gave him no pleasure to listen to such things.

His charity, too, was a conspicuous trait; and he never re-
peated stories prejudicial to the character of another unless for
a good reason.

How carefully he discouraged all that might be called clerical
gossip, the clergymen who have been associated with him re-
member. In a letter to a friend occurs this passage : —

"Your account of the ecclesiastical differences at is

very painful. More magnanimity is needed on the part of those
who dislike the Bishop ; and more tolerance on his own. If
there be one thing which from my heart I despise, it is clerical
intrigue, and the disposition for petty quarrels amongst ministers
of the same Church and Lord. I regret exceedingly that the
Bishop has not more conciliated all ; but, called as he was to
that place, and filling it as he does, I cannot have the slightest
sympathy with a system of annoyances, fretfulness, and gossip,
through which he is to be made uncomfortable and his influence
undermined, till at length, perhaps, the mischief may be such
as to alarm its very authors. But it is a pity to speak much of
such things, for they grow by speaking ; and often they have
almost their whole importance from the place which they have been
permitted to occupy in the private conversation of clergymen."

Perhaps it was easier for him to abstain from gossip than for
many others, for his mind seemed to be too full of more weighty
matters to dwell much upon even the innocent news of the com-
munity, and he seldom thought of repeating it. This made it
easy for him to keep the many secrets intrusted to him, and
what was told him in confidence always rested with him.

His charity, still using the word in the largest Scriptural sense,
was constantly shown in his care not to give needless pain.

"I remember," writes a friend, "with how much patience he
used to bear with some simple or weak-minded persons, when
they, not knowingly, were taking from him so much of his pre-
cious time ; and how cautious he was not in the least to wound
their feelings."

Said another : —

"I have more than once heard him mispronounce a word
when obliged to use it immediately after hearing another person
make the mistake, rather than run the risk of giving pain by

344 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

seeming to correct him. On one occasion, I heard him pro-
nounce Virginia with a hard g, after noticing that pronunciation,
in a poor, ignorant German."

A single sentence in a letter to a mother shows how highly he
prized kindness of feeling and action.

" Try to cherish in him a good and kind, as well as obedient
disposition, from the first ; those things seem to begin even
before any principles can be instilled. But I am speaking to
one who knows, perhaps, much better than her adviser."

He was a person with whom it was impossible to quarrel. He
was eminently a peace-maker and a peace-preserver. He would
not allow any one to be at variance with him, but always acted
on the principle that it took two to make a quarrel, and that
the party who knew that he was in the right could afford to be
generous. It sometimes happened that in the discharge of his
duty he gave offence ; but he never would see it. He went on
his way as usual, never forcing himself upon the offended par-
ties, but meeting them as pleasantly as ever, calling or writing
when the occasion came, doing them kindnesses when it was in
his power, or, what is still more difficult, not hesitating to ask a
kindness from them if it was needed ; completely ignoring their
coolness. And the time always came when his Christian for-
bearance was rewarded : all resentment faded away, friendly
relations were re-established without any of those explanations
and apologies which are often humiliating, and always make it
more difficult for people to forget the past; and those were made
firm friends who, if left to themselves, might have been life-long
enemies.

There never was a person of more generous spirit, never one
who, when he had occasion to forgive, forgave more thoroughly.
He never reminded others that if they had taken advice or been
less obstinate, perplexities and annoyances would not have
arisen; he never used the vexing phrase, "I told you so."

Even when he had occasion to administer reproof or to make
a criticism, the same gentleness and tact Avere exercised. After,
on one occasion, listening to a Candidate for Orders who read
the Church Service before him for the benefit of his remarks,
his criticism was peculiarly characteristic. "I must apply the

GATHERED FRAGMENTS. 345

suggestion to my own reading of the service which may perhai>s
be true of yours. If I should say anything, it is that our read-
ing lacks life and animation."

But with his charity was mingled a strong sense of justice,
which would not allow him weakly to advocate the remission of
well merited punishment. He could punish a child for the good
of the child J he could advocate the punishment of a criminal
for the good of the community. This is shown in the following
extract from a letter written in 1836.

"On the subject of capital punishments, I have been always
inclined to favor the continuance of them, in the case of those
shocking crimes which at present are usually so visited. Al-
though imprisonment in solitude for the remainder of our days
may seem to you and me quite as severe a punishment in reality
as death, yet I doubt whether the guilty will ever be as much
deterred by the fear of it ; and if it were generally felt to be as
severe, the same efforts would be made for its remission, and
the same remission granted. Besides, it seems to me that when
such numbers die daily, under the visitation of Providence, with-
out any such special guilt, many through the mere effects of ac-
cident or imprudence ; when the drunkard, however many good
qualities he may possess, yet seals his death by his excesses, it is
rather idle to indulge in so much sympathy with the most de-
praved and unnatural of criminals. My mind is settled on the
main question, that society has a right to take their life ; and as
to the opportunity of repentance, they have more and longer
warnings, in ejipectation of death, than the majority of man-
kind."

He was considered an excellent man of business, perhaps be-
cause he would run no risks, particularly when the property of
others was put in his hands as trustee, but sought invest-
ments that were safe rather than those which might for a time
afford a larger interest. Apart from his idea that this is the
wisest and safest course, he was always unwilling to have
any business on his mind which would create anxiety and take
off his thoughts from more important subjects. He was very
prompt and exact in all such matters, never allowing the smallest
debt to remain. He has been known, on his returning from his
afternoon round of visits on Saturday evening, and finding that
some article of clothing had been sent home, at once to retrace
his steps and pay for it, not willing to let the Sunday find him in

346 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

debt, or to wear anything that was not paid for. Every payment
was immediately recorded in his account book, and at the end
of each month his accounts were balanced. This care pre-
vented him from at any time living beyond his income, and
enabled him to see whether his charities had borne a fair pro-
portion to his other expenses. He never limited his gifts to a
tenth of his income, but having made sure of that amount, he
added to it all that could be spared from other expenses. While
a single man, his salary exceeded his expenses, and living as
he then did in a wealthy community where there were not
many demands upon him, he almost necessarily laid by a
few thousand dollars. Feeling unwilling, as he said, to make
money out of the Church, upon going to Maine he bequeathed
this sum to the Diocese. Before he died, he had already given
this amount over and over to the Church, not only by accepting
a salary much less than his expenses, but by direct donations \
he yet seemed to regard that bequest as not to be retracted.
In justice to the Diocese and his Parish, it should be stated that
attempts were sometimes made to increase his salary, but he
always said that as long as God had given him enough to re-
lieve his mind from anxiety, he thought he ought not to lay up
any more, and it did not seem to him right to require an effort
to be made by others in order to enable him to increase his
gifts. The same prudence was exhibited in all business matters
which were in any manner intrusted to him.

In the missionary operations of the Diocese, he was resolute
that no obligations should be incurred which could not be punc-
tually met. Possibly this prudence prevented some enterprises
from being undertaken which might have proved successful, but,
on the other hand, the Church never heard the cry from this
Diocese, that its missionaries were suffering because their salaries
were in arrears.

The anxiety, with which he watched over the Missionary Trea-
sury, is shown in such passages as the following, which are often
found in his letters.

" The entire amount which will be required to meet the appro-
priations of the Board will be about $1700. The portion which
may be received from without the Diocese is entirely uncertain,

GATHERED FRAGMENTS. 347

but without special solicitations it will hardly exceed ^300, and
I think that it will be less. You see about what amount it will
be necessary for us to raise, and if there be first a willing mind,
I think that we shall be able to do it without any sense of exces-
sive exertion or self-denial." — Nov. 28, 1855.

"Our Missionary Treasury is, as is usual at this season, ex-
hausted, and, under the great pressure of the times, when so few
tenants pay their rents, Mr. Gardiner does not find it so con-
venient as usual to make advances. I have made some, and the
deficiency for the present is small, but it will be exceedingly
desirable, wherever the collections can be early commenced,
that they should not be delayed, lest any of our faithful fellow-
laborers should at anytime be exposed to serious inconvenience,
and we should lose that honor, which till now has been main-
tained, of punctual payment to all missionaries of the Diocese."
—Nov. 9, 1857.

His exact habit of mind showed itself in little things, such as
the fact that he never abbreviated words in writing, seldom even
the name of the month in dating letters or his journal.

He was very orderly in his habits, having a place for every-
thing, and generally putting everything in its place as soon as
used. Those who saw his study table, heaped up with books
and papers, probably did not give him credit for this trait, but
to him it was not disorder, for a different part of the table was
assigned to each class of pamphlets or papers, so that when he
needed one he was seldom at a loss.

One who knew him well, bears this testimony to the Bishop's
" remarkable promptness in meeting all his engagements."

" This was seen in every public service. He lost no time, and
kept no one waiting for his arrival. At every service in the
church, every lecture in the chapel, every marriage ceremony,
every funeral, in short, at every place where he had a duty
to perform, he was found at the time appointed. He needed
not to apologize for being tardy, on account of the distance, as
he always started in time. He may have seemed in haste in
private, but never in public.

We never found him out of his study when we went there to
recite. If he was obliged to be away he sent us word. And
all this trouble was a labor of love : he received no compensa-
tion. All his time was preoccupied and he kept his engage-
ments with himself, as with others, promptly. This is one of
the secrets of the immense amount of work he was able to per-

348 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

form. Order, punctuality, and industry were prominent traits
in his character."

And again to his industry.

"The Bishop was one of the most industrious of men. This
is shown by his success as a parish priest and as a Bishop,
by his extensive and varied learning, and by the immense
amount of his writings, published and unpublished.

I remember calling on him one evening, by appointment,
about five minutes before the time. He came down from his
study^to meet me, but immediately excused himself ' for a mo-
ment or two,' and went back again. He soon returned, saying:
' I feel better now : I have finished my work for the day.'

He seemed to be occupied every moment in labor or in rest,
and each fitted him for the other. Any one who knew the Bishop
will understand the last sentence. In his life there was no vacant
time. Method characterized all he did, and untiring industry
made his method valuable."

It may not be amiss to mention his manner of writing sermons.
Though he could and did, on an emergency, write a sermon in a
day, he never postponed this duty to the end of the week, trust-
ing that the inspiration and the time needed would then be at
his command. He regularly commenced a sermon on Monday
morning, writing one-third of it each day, and completing it on
Wednesday. On Thursday, the second was commenced, and
the necessary number of pages Avritten each day to bring him to
the last page on Saturday. If other engagements crowded upon
him during the day, he would not let its work be added to
that of to-morrow, but sat up later in the evening, not feeling
that his work was done till the task he had assigned to himself
was completed.

But with all his system and punctuality, he was very far from
being rigid or unbending. He was remarkable for what he
called "elasticity;" by which he meant a readiness to change
his plans when a change seemed desirable.

His fellow-laborers will remember that this elasticity was often
shown in arranging the various meetings which called together
the clergy of the Diocese. While a Presbyter in Connecticut,
he was strictly rubrical and obeyed faithfully all the rules laid
down by the Church. But after his removal to a diocese where

GATHERED FRAGMENTS. 349

the clergy, when they met together, came from long distances,
by modes of travel often inconvenient and sometimes dangerous,
and congregations were to be gathered from scattered neighbor-
hoods, he learned that it was necessary at times to relax, and,
in appointing special services, to have more regard to the state
of the roads or the period of the moon than to the ecclesiastical
season. He did not undervalue order, but he applied to the
Church our Saviour's rule with regard to the Sabbath, believing
that the Church was made for man, not man for the Church.

He always wished for the same elasticity in all family arrange-
ments ; to rise, or retire, or have his meals, at any hour which
for the time was most for the general convenience. He could
not endure to see children brought under strict rules, except
where there was really a right and a wrong side, saying that a
family ought not to be under as strict discipline as a man-of-war.
Yet when absent from his own home, he always scrupulously
conformed to the hours of the family with which he was a guest.
He retired at a late hour, his usual rule being to write until
twelve o'clock, and then begin his preparations for the night,
but he rose early, in summer generally at six, and in winter at
seven. His late breakfast tmie has given a different impression,
but he always required at least an hour for the deliberate per-
formance of all his morning duties before leaving his room.

While the Bishop was no ascetic, enjoying what was set before
him and asking no questions for conscience' sake, it is right to
state that he was habitually abstemious. While he did not con-
sider it a sin to partake of a glass of wine, and was very far from
condemning his brethren whose practice differed from his own,
it is believed that from the time of his consecration he never
drank wine except at the communion or when it was found
necessary for sanitary reasons. Every clause of St. Paul's des-
cription of a godly bishop in his Epistle to Titus, might be used
to describe Bishop Burgess.

To those who never saw him in his family, it would not per-
haps be easy to convey an idea of his gentleness, his forgetful-
ness of self, his affectionate watchfulness over the comfort and
happiness of every member of the household.

He treated women with a degree of respectful attention worthy

35 o MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

of the days of chivalry. He much preferred serving them to
being served by them, and when wood fires were used, would
bring in the wood himself, rather than require it to be done
by a female servant.

He considered no work that was necessary beneath his dignity,
and he has even, on an emergency, blacked the boots of an
unsuspecting guest.

He avoided all too strong expressions, giving such advice as
this to the young : " Do not indulge in a habit of using extrava-
gant expressions ; it will injure your truthfulness of character."
While he was always bright and cheerful, and willing to en-
courage innocent amusement and enter into it, he deprecated
the habit of turning everything into ridicule and not taking suffi-
ciently earnest and serious views of life and its duties. Espe-
cially did he discourage the practice of laughing at the weakness
or the follies of our fellow creatures, instead of seeking to find
in them something to respect and love.

Bishop Burgess was affectionate in his disposition and strong
in his affections, and he was never ashamed to express them in
words. Yet so far was he from giving indiscriminate praise, that
when such words as the following, with which he closed a letter
to the Hon. R. H. Gardiner, were written, his friends knew that
they meant something, and valued them accordingly.

The passage is quoted not only to show with what delicate
touches the Bishop could paint his own friendly feelings, but as
a just tribute to his departed friend.

" I remember with thankfulness the approach of your birth-
day, and the mercy which has preserved you to us since the time
when that day found you in a sick chamber. It is not often pos-
sible, in the ordinary course of life, and face to face, to express
the personal reverence and gratitude which may be very deep in
the heart. That which I feel when I think of the past fifteen
years in connection with your character, example, and influence,
I would wish to show by increasing fidelity, through God's grace,
in the use of my own talent in my own sphere. It is something,
for the eff'ect of which upon myself I ought to expect that I shall
be accountable, as for so many other means of improvement and
gifts of grace."

He never thought himself too old to learn, or to adopt better

GATHERED FRAGMENTS. 35 1

habits of any kind. As an instance, his handwriting may be
mentioned. At one period of his life this was often difficult to
decipher, particularly when it was much corrected and inter-
lined. In his latter years he determined to conquer this fault,
and much of his later writing is remarkably distinct, the letters
being formed almost like print. When practising a more dis-
tinct hand, he sometimes went so far as to rule his sermon paper
a little above the blue lines, taking care that each letter should
be of the same height, and when he had thus written a fair,
legible page, he would show it with an almost childlike delight
in his success.

Perhaps it was because he felt so strongly the uncertainty of
life, that he disliked to look forward and plan much for the time
to come. He said it was much pleasanter for him, and he thought
more profitable also, to dwell on the memories of the past than
on anticipations of the future.

A few words may be allowed on the subject of the Bishop's
personal appearance. While it is freely admitted that in his
boyhood and youth he could not be considered handsome, when
he attained to manhood he is represented as strikingly interest-
ing in appearance. He was tall and slender, and his face bore
the impress of intellect and religion. Both at this period, and
more and more as he advanced in life, there was that in his
countenance which made men "take knowledge of him that he
had been with Jesus." It was that which made a servant who
admitted him to the house of a parishioner, say : "He looks
like an angel ; he looks half in heaven already." It has been
said that youthful beauty will not remain until mature age, unless
the mind is kept chiselling at the features. Not only was this
chisel always at work on his face, but it was irradiated with the
beauty of holiness. This was a kind of beauty that grew with
his years, and as his figure developed and attained dignity, his
own description of Bishop Brownell may be used to describe
himself.

"A manly stature, an attractive person, a noble aspect and
voice, were easily united with a dignified bearing, a kindly man-
ner, and a graceful elocution. The mind, corresponding with
the outward frame, uttered itself in calm and lucid thought, in
harmonious sentences, and in perspicuous arguments."

35 2 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Perhaps the word noble does not describe Bishop Burgess'
voice so well as the word sweet. Indeed it was remarkably
sweet, and his tones in reading a hymn were often more musical
than the singing which followed. His utterances, which were
seldom very loud, were so clear, that their lowest tones were
distinctly heard even in the distant parts of a large church.

Bishop Burgess was distinguished for his courtesy towards all,
for that politeness which is a Christian grace, springing from
entire freedom from selfishness. Bearing about him continually
the sweetness of the mind of Christ, growing, day by day, more
like his Master, he always thought of others rather than of
himself, and by constant kind offices sought to add to their
happiness. If the trivial, every-day kindnesses received from
him were sometimes offered at the cost of some discomfort to
himself, he did not seem to know it. If greater efforts were
needed and a small addition to the conxfort of another could
only be secured by a considerable sacrifice of his own conveni-
ence, still it was made, and so quietly, so pleasantly, that the
recipient of the favor never suspected that he had given any
trouble.

Perhaps some reader may ask, had Bishop Burgess no faults,
no weaknesses, no temptations ? He has said that his greatest
trial, his besetting sin, was an impatient temper. That those
members of his own family who were younger than himself never
saw this impatience exhibited, and are inclined to doubt its ex-
istence, only shows how early and how completely, by the grace
of God, he acquired self-control. That he was not only con-
scious of it in early childhood, but found it necessary, almost to
the end of life, to watch and pray and guard himself, we have
his own word. That few suspected this trait proves that the
victory was complete, and may encourage others who are tried
in the same way, to seek the same help which enabled him to
overcome.

That he was not allowed to escape all temptation is shown by
the following incidents. He was once asked if he was ever
tempted to doubt the truth of the Gospel and the reality of the
Christian religion? "O, yes," he said. " What is your remedy?"

GATHERED ERAGMENTS. 353

was the next question. " I say, 'Get thee behind me, Satan,' for
I know it is a temptation of the devil."

Precisely in the same strain was his reply to one who was re-
citing Hebrew to him. They were reading the book of Job.
At the close of the recitation, the young man said to him, "I
can't realize the existence and the temptations of the devil as Job
seems to have done." With a significant gesture, the Bishop
said, "I think /do."

In conclusion, we must once more be permitted to quote from
the Rev. Mr. Bartlet.

'' Although Bishop Burgess has taken an enviable place among
American scholars, yet his merits in this respect are thrown far
into the shade by his other qualities. It may be safely said, that
in the qualities that go to make up that highest type of manhood,
the Christian gentleman. Bishop Burgess had no superiors, and
but few who can be allowed to be his equals.

In speaking briefly of one who has honored us with his friend-
ship for nearly twenty years, we feel that the plainest record of
his worth will almost seem exaggeration to others. From the
cynical Pope was forced the tribute : —

' To Berkeley every virtue under heaven!'

This line might be applied literally to one who held a like eccle-
siastical rank with the Bishop of Cloyne. It may be said that in
every relation of life the subject of our notice was without re-
proach. A character so full and rounded as his is hard to de-
lineate.

During the wonderful march of the Israelites in the desert,
there was made a breast-plate for the High Priest. The Al-
mighty prescribed the form, the size, the materials of this orna-
ment. The gems which composed it were of the richest value.
Each of them, even when viewed separately, gave delight to the
beholder. There was the emerald, so suggestive of coolness
and the verdure with which nature clothes herself in early sum-
mer; the sapphire, symbolizing the 'upper deep;' and the
diamond the very type of perfection and unending duration.
But it was only when the twelve were arranged together in the
commanded order by the cunning skill of the workman, that a
full idea could be obtained of the completeness, power, integrity,
and affection for others which the Urim and Thummim were
designed to symbolize. And so with the character of him, a
faint idea of whom we are trying to convey to those who had
not the privilege of his acquaintance. His noble and excellent
23

354 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

qualities should have been viewed as they were combined in him,
to get a true idea of a true man. They who knew him the most
intimately, had the most profound esteem for the qualities of his
head and heart."

XLIX.

THE BISHOP'S HEALTH.

The expression "iron constitution" has often been used when
speaking of Bishop Burgess and his labors, but those, who saw
him frequently, are more ready to attribute his constant labori-
ousness to his iron will rather than to his iron constitution.

While he was not a person of very robust constitution, he was
rarely confined by sickness. One who had with him an ac-
quaintance of nearly thirty years, remembers but one occasion
when he was prevented from'performing his regular duties, being,
at the time referred to, ill for several weeks with a fever. And
yet he has said that if he had listened to the advice of friends,
he would have spent half his life in idleness, seeking more
strength for the work of the other half.

For many years his illnesses were of a nervous character, and
. he was much troubled with a rush of blood to the head, particu-
larly while preaching, raising serious apprehensions in the minds
of his friends, and leading him to dwell much on the thought
of sudden death, to which he looked forward. During his last
illness, when he first realized that his lungs were affected, he re-
marked that perhaps it had saved him from something worse,
for in former years he had apprehended death by apoplexy.
After his removal to Maine, though his duties were increased
they were more varied, and the necessity for frequent journeys
had a decidedly beneficial effect, so that he was almost entirely
relieved from his nervous troubles, and he said that, "all other
things being equal, he should live longer in Maine than he
could have lived in Hartford." As there was no consumption
in his family, and he could speak for hours without fatigue, he
always thought his lungs the strongest part of his system, but,
as was remarked by a friend, "no lungs could bear what he

THE BISHOP'S HEALTH. 355

put upon his." Yet his constant exposure in the discharge
of his duties subjected him to many colds, and among his
letters are notes from parishioners in Hartford, urging him not
to preach again until his hoarseness was removed, reminding
him that his voice was their riches, &c. To these remonstrances
he never listened, but preached whenever he could speak loud
enough to be heard, and his success in thus wearing off or work-
ing off colds, encouraged him to continue. As long as his strength
remained and he had no cough, he could not believe that his
hoarseness in any way differed from that attending former colds,
and when, at last, more alarming symptoms appeared, and he
was obliged to pause, it was too late.

The letters, which passed between him and his own family,
show that they did not consider him as rugged as he thought
himself. In one from his oldest brother, a fear is expressed
that he is "undertaking too much for a person of not very vig-
orous constitution;" and some of his own letters are evidently
answers to the expression of similar anxieties.

Hartford, May 19, 1S40.

"My Dear Sister: As you desired to hear from me at an
early period, I will write, although but a few lines, in a moment
of haste. Since I saw you, I have not been at any time as much
troubled with the evils of which we spoke as when you were
here or just before. I preached all day on the following Sunday,
and at the request of Dr. Jarvis, exchanged with him the day
before yesterday. At Middletown, I preached with much more
ease and pleasure. I have also ridden several times on horse-
back ; and I am expecting to go out and spend a month or so
v/ith a friend three miles from the city, coming in every after-
noon. So you perceive that your advice has been sufficiently
followed ; and I hope the effect will be satisfactory to you when,
if it please God, I see you.

In the meanwhile, give yourself no uneasiness, and say as little
about the matter as may be, for, as long as a person can have
even tolerable health, it is not pleasant to be the cause of any
solicitude to one's friends. All is in the wisest hands and the
best, and little and great infirmities are equally the appointment
of our gracious God. I only ask to know my duty, and to be
able to do it, in all things..

Give my love to all. If I have written about my health, it is
only because you have desired it, and not because it needs the
mention. Ever your affectionate brother."

356 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

" Hartford, Saturday evening, Jan. 23, 1841 : For myself, I
am now in very good health ; better than at any period since my
confinement in the summer. The attacks of indigestion seem to
have departed, and I eat and drink with freedom. A conse-
quence is, the firmer establishment of the nervous system. I
have adopted one plan with very good effect, and think I shall
be able to persevere in it. This is to make Saturday a kind of
Sabbath, that is, a day of rest from labors, completing previ-
ously my sermons, and devoting this day to exercise, recreation,
and the society of intimate friends."

Unfortunately, this plan was soon abandoned.

" Brattleboro', July 8, 1841: Do not suppose, from my
absence on this journey, that my health is particularly impaired.
On the contrary, it is good, but I am of opinion that it will be
strengthened by such recreation, and I could hardly satisfy
my affectionate parishioners without considerable absence this
summer, as they have the impression, whether right or wrong,
that my duties have somewhat worn upon me."

"Hartford, July 17, 1843: Your anxiety for my health
when you were "here might, I imagine, have been relieved, if
you had remembered that the occasion was one of some feeling,
and that I had risen very early that morning and had not break-
fasted. All this might explain a little paleness. In any event
I was, and am, in a very good state of health ; but I hardly ex-
pect that I shall ever have the yeomanlike muscle of ."

These letters show an unwillingness, which seemed to increase
with years, to say much about his health. This sensitiveness
evidently did not arise from a dread of death, or from an in-
disposition to think of his latter end. It seemed to be owing in
part to shrinking from making himself in any way the subject of
discussion, and in part to the fear that his friends in their affec-
tionate anxiety for him would insist upon more rest than he be-
lieved necessary. He always thought that change of work was
as beneficial as entire recreation, and refused the summer vaca-
tions which are generally so thankfully accepted by clergymen,
and which perhaps might have been the means of prolonging
his life. When settled at Hartford, he not unfrequently went
home, but generally limited his visits to three days, which he
said gave friends time to say all that was to be said, and enabled
him to return to his parish before Sunday. But two journeys
are remembered which he took solely for pleasure ; one being

THE BISHOP'S HEALTH. 357

after the illness before referred to, when he went to the White
Mountains on horseback ; the other being on the occasion of
his marriage. When called by duty out of his own Diocese, he
frequently would spare a day to his friends. He seldom ex-
tended his journey or prolonged his absence beyond a few days.
The idea of leaving home for a mere pleasure excursion, he
seemed unable to entertain. Unless called away by more urgent
duties, he always seemed to think that he was neglecting his
parish when absent; and, as a Bishop, he was obliged to travel
so much, that he thought it perfect luxury to be allowed to
stay at home, and said that he could not comprehend why
people wanted to go away. He much preferred that his friends
should come to see him.

Though so unwilling to allow that he ever needed indul-
gence as an invalid, there are many signs that he did not feel
that he possessed a constitution of iron. In his European jour-
nal, he sometimes refers to the fact that his health had improved
since he left home ; and in his birthday prayers and meditations,
he often expresses surprise that his life has been prolonged so
much beyond the period which he anticipated. In deciding
upon the acceptance of the Episcopate of Maine, he placed
among the reasons against it the question whether it might not
be for the advantage of the Diocese to have a Bishop of more
vigorous constitution.

On the Sunday before Christmas, 1862, he was quite hoarse
when he arose in the morning, and asked a Candidate for orders
to read the lessons, intending to perform the remainder of the
service himself, but by the time the lessons were finished his
hoarseness had increased so rapidly, that he was obliged to allow
the lay reader to complete the service. This attack appeared in
no way different from his other colds, and in a few days the
hoarseness disappeared and he supposed himself to have re-
covered. But to others who had the opportunity of observing
him closely, it was apparent from that time that his throat was
never quite well ; there always appeared to be a slight catarrhal
difficulty, a filling up of the throat, requiring a frequent effort to
swallow. Still, there was nothing to excite apprehension, no-
thing that would have been long remembered, but for what fol-

35 8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

lowed. Two years afterwards, the Sunday before Christmas,
1864, the same thing occurred. He was attacked by hoarseness
as suddenly as before, but from that time he never entirely re-
covered his voice, though he was able to preach. He said that
it gave him no trouble to speak ; while to others it sounded as
if it must give him pain ; and so he went on performing all his
duties, taking only the ordinary slight remedies for a cold, and
trusting that it would gradually wear off. During the multiplied
services of Lent, he looked worn and ill to such a degree, as
to excite the apprehensions of his friends and parishioners ;
but to all their remonstrances he had but one answer, that he
felt perfectly well and strong, and was convinced that it was a
mere local difficulty which would soon disappear.

In March of this year a proposition came to him from Bishop
Lee, of Delaware, to visit the missionary stations in the island of
Hayti. The idea seemed very pleasant to him, and he remarked
that, perhaps, such a journey was just what he needed to re-esta-
blish his health.

That he did not accede to the proposal was owing, not to any
disinclination, but to his conviction that he could not then per-
form the necessary duties. As usual, he put himself, his own
convenience and pleasure, out of the question, and considered
only the interests of the Church, as is shown by his letter to
Bishop Lee.

Gardiner, March 15, 1865.

" My Dear Bishop: I have been seriously weighing your
proposal, not without prayer to be guided in all things by a
better wisdom than mine.

There would be some rather grave difficulties in the way,
proceeding from the necessity of supplying my parish in my
absence, at a time when it is so hard to find a single unemployed
clergyman, and from the manner in which I should be obliged
to crowd my diocesan visitations after my return.

Aside from this, the visit would have for me considerable
attractiveness ; more than one to any other of the West Indies.

But I am disposed to think that I could not do what might be
expected. I could and would inform myself, as far as possible,
of the actual state of things, and of the prospect; I would give
all counsel and assistance in my power ; but I fear that if imme-
diate ordination were desired, I could not comply, unless under
the advice and approbation of a considerable number of out

THE BISHOP'S HEALTH. 359

Bishops. It does not appear to me that any one can l)e ordained,
under our Constitution and Canons, as a deacon or priest of
our Church, without testimonials, the action of a Standing Com-
mittee, and the examination of two Presbyters. If done at all,
it must be outside of the Constitution and Canons; and this,
though it seems to be allowable, yet should be done with much
deliberation and counsel, and not on the responsibility of an
individual Bishop, if it can be avoided. Besides, the General
Convention is not far off, when full sanction could be given
beforehand to any necessary action. Without that sanction, I
should conceive that such clergymen would have towards our
Church only that relation which they might consent to assume.
It would seem to me that they should be required, before ordi-
nation, to promise conformity to the doctrine and worship of
the Church, in the United States, so far as might be permitted
by their position, until the Church should be fully organized in
Hayti, and should have adopted a Constitution and Canons of
its own. In the meantime, if any such ordinations should take
place, would it not be right that the consent of a considerable
number of our Bishops, say ten, should be received, before the
act? Your own, that of Bishops Chase and A. Potter, with mine,
all already given, would be four. Whether there is a sufficiently
urgent need for any immediate action to justify such a request,
you can judge much better perhaps than any one else. I must
refer this question to you ; as also, whether this need is sufficient
to demand from me an absence which might cause some incon-
venience to my parish ; and whether it would authorize and in-
duce the Church Missionary Society to defray the expenses,
with such an addition as would enable me to supply my pulpit
in my absence.

In every point of doubt, I should wish the balance to turn
against the visit, so that, unless a strong and clear case be
made out, I may be regarded as declining. But if it should be
plainly the duty of some one to go, and I can but make adequate
arrangements for my charge, I will not refuse.

The time, I am aware, is short for any further deliberation or
consultation, but I could not well be more prompt or decisive,
in a matter of so much possible importance.
I am, my dear Bishop,

Very affectionately your friend and brother."

The visit to Hayti, w^hich might have been so beneficial to his
health, was not made at that time, and soon a slight cough being
added to his first symptoms, he placed himself under the care of
a physician ; but it was not until July that he consented to avail
himself of the services of an assistant, and take the rest which

360 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

all felt that he needed. Even then his consent was given, less
from a conviction that rest was necessary, than because he was
weary of resistance, and thought it right so far to satisfy his
anxious friends.

From this time onward, the two subjects, the work he accom-
plished, and the state of his health, must be considered together,
for though health and life were failing, his labors did not cease.

It was evidently a great sacrifice for him to leave his duties in
the hands of another, and condemn himself to idleness, but he
always made his sacrifices cheerfully, and having decided that
he must leave home, he said he intended to enjoy himself as
much as possible. Immediately after the Convention, which
met in Portland in July, 1865, at which he delivered a Charge,
reading it with his own voice, instead of returning home, he
went to the White Mountains, where he spent three weeks. He
returned home invigorated and refreshed, and, as he believed,
better, but the hoarseness remained. He afterwards made visits
to Bristol, Newport, and Nantucket, and thought that the sea
air was more beneficial than mountain air. At intervals, he re-
turned home and performed such duties as were permitted.
Early in September, he went to Eastport to attend a meeting of
the Board of Missions, and immediately afterwards left home
again, and spent three weeks delightfully in visits to friends on
the Hudson River, abstaining entirely from public speaking, and
taking the remedies prescribed by his physician. On the first
of October, he went to the meeting of the General Conven-
tion at Philadelphia. Some objection had been made by his
friends to his attending this Convention, but the suggestion af-
fected him so much, that his physician said it would probably
injure him less to go than to remain absent. While there, he
did not preach, but on two occasions he made short addresses
at public meetings, and he took his part in all business and dis-
cussions. After the Convention closed, he went west as far as
Cleveland, returning east by way of Niagara. Whether he took ■
cold on the journey, or showed then the effects of his labors
during the Convention, it is impossible to say, but from the time
of his leaving Philadelphia his hoarseness increased.

After reaching home, the suggestion was renewed that he

THE BISHOP'S HE A L TIL 3 6 1

should spend the winter in a warmer climate. At first he resisted
it strenuously, but in November a hemorrhage occurred, and he
was convinced that he must yield to the advice of physicians and
friends. While hesitating about his route, the request to which
the following letter addressed to Bishop Lee of Delaware alludes,
reached him from the Foreign Committee, and assisted him in
deciding upon his course.

Gardiner, December 2, 1865.

" My Dear Bishop : I have now received the direct request
of the Foreign Committee that I would visit Hayti. It was well
that it came no sooner, for, under the apprehension that my
hoarseness, which had been worse since I was at Philadelphia,
might make it actually impossible for me to speak much and
with efficiency, I had almost concluded to decline the trust and
spend the waiter in some southern part of our own country.
Recently, however, I have been so much encouraged by the
improvement of my voice, as to have little doubt that I shall be
able, with God's blessing, to meet, in that respect, the requisi-
tions of this work. I have therefore accepted it, subject to all
providential contingencies, especially such as may affect my
health. It is my wish to go to several of the islands of the West
Indies, in the hope that, through the blessing of God, I may
derive thorough and permanent improvement.

I shall therefore acquiesce in your proposed application to
the presiding Bishop to transfer the temporary jurisdiction from
you to me.

Asking your prayers for that fulness of the grace of Christ,
without which I can neither be myself sustained, nor be an in-
strument of good to others, I am, my dear Bishop,

Affectionately yours."

It was very hard for him to decide to leave his parish and
Diocese only in search of health, but when he found that he
could still work for the Church during his absence, the sacrifice
was much lightened.

After his last Diocesan Convention, in July, 1865, he re-
frained from preaching until his return from the General Con-
vention, when he delivered two or three sermons in his own
parish. At the request of the rector of the Church at Lewiston,
he made an appointment to visit the parish on the 19th of No-
vember, leaving it uncertain whether he would preach. On
the 13th, the hemorrhage already mentioned occurred. On the
i6th he wrote to the rector: —

3^2 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

" I expect, God willing, to keep my appointment ; but I write
in order that you may be prepared to preach at both services.
For some special reasons, I thinkthat it would hardly be prudent
for me to tax my voice on that day to the extent of a sermon.
You know how much I feel and regret this inability, and how
gladly I would save you the trouble ; but I must be thankful
to God for the ability to perform what more peculiarly belongs
to the episcopal office, and be more than content."

On Saturday the iSth he went to Lewiston, and that night he
had another hemorrhage, but less severe than that of Monday.
Notwithstanding this, on the following day he read the Decalogue
and concluding prayers and benediction in the morning, and
confirmed eight persons in the afternoon, making the usual ad-
dress. This was his last confirmation in his Diocese.

He did not attempt to preach, though he always took some
part in the service until December lo, when he made the effort,
in order to pay a just tribute to the memory of one who had died
on the previous day, and who had been Vestryman, Warden,
and Treasurer of the Church, and for many years Superintendent
of the Sunday School,

LAST MEETING OF THE BOARD OF MISSIONS.

For this section the editor is indebted to Rev. Dr. Ballard.

"The last public act of the Bishop in his Episcopal office
within his Diocese, was in St. Philip's Church, Wiscasset. He
had appointed the 13th of December for the ordination of the
Rev. E. A. Bradley, the rector-elect of the parish in that
place, to the priesthood. He left home on the previous day,
stopping, as was his custom when visiting that parish, to dine
with the rector of the Church in Brunswick, both in going and
returning, during the necessary detention of waiting for the cars.
Though bearing the plainest indications of the progress of his
illness, he was more than usually cheerful, and walked the some-
what long distance from and to the station at this place without

LAST MEETING OF THE BOARD OF MISSIONS. 363

apparent fatigue. The latter part of the journey for ten
miles was by stage, over a hilly and, at that season of the year,
rough road, made the more uncomfortable by the approach of
a wintry rain. But he suffered no special inconvenience, as had
been feared by his anxious friends; though, owing to the state
of his voice, he engaged in conversation less than was his usual
manner.

He was able to be present at the services on the evening before
the ordination, and to make a few observations on a historical
point in the sermon preached by one of the clergy, and to com-
mend the argument and instruction of the discourse to the accept-
ance of the congregation.

On the morning of the day appointed for the purpose of his
visit, he superintended the examination of the candidate, and
made all the arrangements for the approaching solemnity. His
voice had become much less clear than on the previous day;
and he deemed it prudent to assign as much of the service as
was allowable to one of the clergy, as he had already done for
the first time in his Episcopate, in regard to the sermon, which
was delivered by the first rector of the parish. In his own part
of the office he spoke with difficulty, awakening the fear that he
would be unable to proceed to the end. But under the influ-
ence of the determination that always actuated him in the per-
formance of his duty, he seemed to compel his vocal powers to
obey the decisions of his mind, and his utterance became more
easy and clear till the service was completed. The change that
had come over his countenance since his last visit to this Church
was very marked to the congregation ; and some persons in the
number could not but express the fear that death had already
begun his fatal work.

In the afternoon and evening of the same day, the Board of
Missions for the Diocese held its meetings, in agreement with
the previous appointment, at which the Bishop presided, both in
its private and public sessions, manifesting his usual earnest in-
terest in the missionary wants and work of the Church, in that
portion assigned to his oversight. It had always been his prac-
tice on the latter occasions, after the devotional services were
concluded, to make an address, describing the purposes and needs

364 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

of the Board, and his hope of the benefit to be derived from the
influence of these stated gatherings. But for the first time, he
intrusted this introduction to the expected addresses to one of
the clergy, who was followed by others of his brethren. They
spoke of the means and motives connected with the successful
carrying forward of the missionary enterprise, in spreading the
truth of the Redeemer, and in the enlargement of His kingdom.
The Bishop closed this meeting of the Board with suitable pray-
ers and the benediction.

After the congregation had retired, the members gathered be-
fore the chancel, in the near presence of the Bishop, to attend
to a few matters of business that had been referred to this last
stage of the meeting. When these acts had received their proper
disposal, he rose, and standing at the rail, called the attention
of the members to ' the fact of his intended departure to a
warmer climate, in accordance with medical advice and the
wishes of his friends, in the hope of a partial, if not an entire,
restoration of his health. His expected absence would be about
four months. He should not go from his home merely for rest
or health, but mostly for missionary work in one of the West
Indian Islands. During this interval, at a season when he was
not in the habit of visiting their parishes, he trusted that no
special disadvantage would occur to the Diocese ; which, for
all ordinary purposes, would be left in the care of the Standing
Committee. He asked their affectionate prayers while he should
be away, that God would bless him with such a portion of re-
newed vigor as would enable him to resume the work of his
office in the Diocese, where so large a part of his life had been
spent. He did not now ask the public prayers of the Church
for the return of his health. There was no more need of this
request now than there had been for some time past, or might
be for some time to come. If, however, it should be heard
that his hope of improvement in this particular should seem to
be disappointed, he would ask to be remembered in the public
devotions of the people. His own wish and prayer would be,
that the work of the Church might go on, even more prosper-
ously in his absence than it had in his presence. A painful sense
of the imperfection of his past work came upon his thoughts

LAST MEETING OF THE BOARD OF MISSIONS. 365

now that God was about to remove him from it for a time. But
his prayer and sincere trust were, that, if he should be restored
to take it up anew, it might be with a more entire feeling of
responsibility and devotion to the service of his Master.'

The members of the Board listened to these parting words of
their beloved father, teacher, and friend, with the most earnest
attention, and the deepest emotions of affectionate and ever in-
creasing regard. It was thought by some of their number that
he intended to say more than he did, but was prevented from
this purpose by the burden of his unusual emotions at the mo-
ment, though the cause might have been in the feebleness of his
powers to give utterance to more of these parting words. He
then, with outstretched hands and husky voice, pronounced his
final benediction over his kneeling brethren ; and while the
hearts of all were fearful, his hopeful courage and cheerful smile
would not allow the recipients of his sacred blessing to believe
that they were indeed listening to his words in the temple of God
for the last time.

At these meetings of the Board in connection with the public
services and their business, he had always instructed and edified
by his conversation, and his discussion of points of interest, that
were continually arising when the members were together. His
appearance in these colloquial debates showed him to be a
seeker of the truth ; its earnest advocate ; and, unbiassed by
party spirit, directing its application for the welfare of men
through the divinely appointed agencies. Many of his clear,
compact, and forcible sayings are remembered, and one of
them may be here added, as a specimen of his ability to give an
unexpected turn to the course of remark, and of increasing the
impression of his observations by the directness of their comple-
tion. The conversation was in connection with this meeting.
While on his way thither, one of the clergy cited the remark of
a Congregationalist, that 'Episcopalians had no right to be in
New England, because of its pre-occupancy by the Puritans.'
The Bishop replied : 'All the statements they may make about
' pre-occupancy' and ' right' are idle. They amount to nothing.
The real question lies farther back. On the principle assumed,
the Congregationalists have no right at all to be in the world 1'

366 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

From the grave manner of his entrance on his reply, it appeared
that he was about to go largely into an argument in defence of
the position held by the Church. The contrast between the
beginning and the absolute settling of the whole question by a
few telling words at the end, was so very marked, that his an-
swer caused the response of something more audible than a
smile, testifying that the conclusion was received as unanswera-
ble.

This meeting of the Board was the last of those fraternal as-
semblages where his presence, learning, and goodness, threw a
sacred charm over all their proceedings, and have placed them
among the hallowed memories of his long and successful admin-
istration of this portion of the vineyard of his Master, where he
had been ever anxious, ever laborious and judicious, to promote
the salvation of men by the Redeemer's truth, through the Re-
deemer's Church.

On the next day he returned home, apparently without any
injury from his exertions and exposure at this inclement season
of the year. On the day following, under his official signature
and seal, agreeably to his intimation in presence of the Board,
he addressed a communication to the Standing Committee, au-
thorizing that body to act as the Ecclesiastical Authority of the
Diocese during his absence from the country."

LI.

DEPARTURE FROM HOME.

December 17, after the sermon by his assistant, the Bishop
made a short farewell address to his congregation, and on Mon-
day, as he records in his diary, "left home, with parting prayers
and blessings, and with the Lord for my Guide and Protector."

One day was spent with his family in Providence, a week in
New York making the necessary preparations for his voyage,
and on Wednesday, the 27th, he sailed in the Moro Castle for
Havana. His "Last Journal" tells the rest.

Two days before sailing, Christmas Day, he concluded what

VOYAGE. 367

was, perhaps, the last letter which he wrote in his native land, in
these words: —

"I am doing very well; and am leaving the country with a
consciousness of considerable improvement, and a cheerful hope
of more, under God's sole blessing. Not a step would I move
without saying ' if the Lord Avill,' and 'He who gave His own
Son for us all, shall He not with Him freely give us all things?'
His ways are good, in our sickness, disability, and death, as
well as in our life, health, and vigor. He will protect our going
out and our coming in, and I hope that we may say, in depend-
ence on Him,

' Safe shall thou go, and safe return.' "

LH.
VOYAGE.

Finding no direct communication between New York and
Port-au-Prince, he determined to go first to Havana, supposing
that he could from that port easily reach Hayti, but when there
he found himself as far off as when in New York, and he was
obliged to go to St. Thomas, and thence in a French steamer to
Cape Haytien.

Among his fellow passengers both to Havana and St. Thomas,
was an English gentleman returning, after a visit to England, to
his home in Barbadoes. From him he received so cordial an
invitation to extend his journey to "Little England," as it is
called, that he could not doubt its sincerity, and after spending
a short time both in St. Croix and in St. Thomas, he proceeded
in an English steamer to Barbadoes. The cordial hospitality with
which he was there entertained, not only by his fellow passen-
ger, but by other inhabitants of the island, whom he met there
for the first time, made the three weeks passed there very de-
lightful, and laid upon his friends a debt of gratitude which
they may never have the opportunity to repay.

But delightful as was the journey, he gained nothing in health ;
his cough, though never severe, continued ; his expectoration
increased, causing a loss of flesh ; and while at Barbadoes his

368 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

voice failed so much that he could speak only in a whisper. But
his strength and spirits kept up wonderfully. He said that he
had no pain in any part of his lungs, where the doctors had located
the disease, and he evidently did not believe that there was any
disease there. This self-deception, so strange in one who had
seen so much of sickness and death, was perhaps part of the
disease.

During his stay at Port-au-Prince, the Bishop commenced
writing an account of his visit to Hayti, and, in introducing the
subject, gave a hasty sketch of his previous voyage among the
islands. This fragment, containing so many graphic touches,
will not be read without interest, as it allows his own pen to
trace his course from island to island, until he reached Cape
Haytien.

"In our passage from Havana to St. Thomas, in January,
1866, we had skirted the whole northern shore of the great
island of St. Domingo. We saw, from a little distance, the
same bold mountains which must have saluted the eyes of Colum-
bus on his first voyage, inviting him onward. These cloudy
ranges stretch in the rear of others of inferior height ; and the
view sweeps down without abruptness to the line of the coast,
which projects to the north in a commanding headland, and
runs off to the east in a long, pointed level. The eastern and
western extremities of the island are the boundaries of two great
highways of vessels sailing from Europe and North America to
southern regions ; the former, between St. Domingo and Porto
Rico ; the latter, the windward passage, between St. Domingo
and Cuba.

When we returned, we had gloried at the repose of Spanish
colonial wealth within the quiet walls of the capital of Port Rico.
We had become well acquainted with the busy, loquacious street
of St. Thomas, under its wall of uninhabitable hills; and with
the soft and charming scenery of St. Croix, its plains of sugar
and cotton, its balmy seasides, and its rich variety of tropical
trees, and of variegated fishes. Then, we had glided along the
shores of some of the blue range of eastern islands, and in
sight of others : St. Christopher's and St. Eustatius ; Nevis, a
single green hill ; Montserrat, a cloudy mass ; Redondo, the
little rock where our countrymen were collecting immense stores
of guano ; Antigua, the mountains and narrow harbor twice seen
by moonlight ; Martinique, Dominico, Guadaloupe, all stretch-
ing their green hillsides down to the sea, and to their little capi-
tals ; while far behind each raises its broken summits to a vast

FOVAGE. 369

height ; St. Lucia, with its three rather sharp sugar-loaf points
breaking a jagged outline ; and then we had borne across to the
more separated, but not solitary, isle of the farthest east, Barba-
does. Three weeks we had dwelt under the perpetual sway of
the breezes from the ocean, which day and night rushed over its
level and fertile fields. Barbadoes has no untilled acres ; no un-
appropriated spot. It is one sugar plantation divided into many.
There are said to be more people than anywhere else in the
same number of square miles, under circumstances at all simi-
lar ; and all must work a little or suffer hunger, even in the
midst of plenty. The whole isle is arranged in so many parishes,
and subordinate districts, of the Church of England, that there
is a good church, with a clergyman adequately paid, within
three or four miles of every habitation. With the church, the
school also is sustained ; and now a generation of freemen has
grown up under such instruction. We had thus seen Barbadoes
busy, well ordered, thriving; its heirs to estates which they found
encumbered, and retained with anxious uncertainty from the
crop of one year to that of the next ; its merchants often find-
ing the mortgaged estates thrown on their hands, till their ad-
vances threaten to make them planters in their turn ; its laborers,
not idle certainly, but not laying upon themselves any heavy
burden of protracted or extreme toil. From this utmost east
of West Indian culture, we had returned by the way by which
we went, till, having, in a French steamer a little leaky and much
rolling, performed a rapid passage from St. Thomas, we were
quite surprised by the call to rise at sunrise, as long before the
expected time we were entering the harbor of Cape Haytien.

It is a scene of surpassing beauty. We enter from the north.
On our right, half a mile from the shore, goes up a mighty,
almost portentous, wall of protecting or threatening elevation ;
abrupt, but not inaccessible, except for the jungle which clothes
it now. On our left, a broad plain of twelve or fifteen miles
stretches away to the head of the bay, and behind it are some
distant mountains, the summits of which, with that which imme-
diately overlooks the town, form a complete inclosure of the
port and all its surrounding country. The little fort of Piccolete,.
on our right, commands the entrance ; and on the left, the plain
finds a termination opposite a small island. Lines of breakers
between these two points mark the reefs, forming a natural break-
water, and allowing still a broad passage for the merchantmen.
What city might not envy that amphitheatre of hills, near and
far ! What harbor of ships lies folded in such arms !

With several of our fellow-passengers, among whom were four
Roman Catholic priests just from Paris, we landed by the boat
of the ship at the wharf of the custom house. Between the
24

37° MEMOIR OF BISHOP B UR CESS.

ship and the shore we met a boat from the American ship of war
Monongahela, which was lying in the harbor ; and I delivered
a letter for her commander, Captain Bissell, with which I had
been charged from Admiral Palmer, at St. Thomas. In antici-
pation of my arrival, the boat had been placed at the disposal of
the Vice Consul, who, in the absence of the Consul in America,
and at the kind request of the Consul General, had undertaken
to provide us with an abode. It was a most thoughtful arrange-
ment on the part of each of our official friends ; for the hotel
accommodations of Cape Haytien were very few and very un-
prouMsing. We were taken, therefore, to the house occupied as
the American Consulate, and invested with possession under the
flag of our country. We were to dine with the family of a gentle-
man whose house was close by ; and his servants were charged
with the provision of our lighter morning and evening meals, as
well as with our other necessities. There was the additional advan-
tage that we could follow somewhat the usages of our home, and
avoid one of the two heavy repasts which, throughout the West
Indies, are, I may respectfully say, inflicted on the traveller,
longing for something either in the forenoon or in the evening,
more cool, refreshing, and slight than those ponderous, solid, and
seasoned dishes in their succession.

There was some delay in landing and opening the trunks; all,
however, as well as the matter of the passport, was in due time
transacted with due formalities. I was taken, however, at once,
a long way to report myself to the proper officers of the city or
port, in person, and by his deputy at once dismissed. The
persons in office whom we encountered at these places were men
of color, well dressed, and of respectable aspect. But the few
soldiers who were standing about as guards were scarecrows.
Poor fellows ! I could not find room in my mind for one senti-
ment of ridicule ; they were but sharing the disasters of the city
and the land. I passed that morning, on my first walk, through
the market-place, where a few scattered piles denoted the sites
of houses, shops, and stalls, which had been all burned with re-
morseless wickedness by the insurgents of the recent revolution,
after they had abandoned all hope of retaining the town.

The first glance of the stranger discloses to him a city thrice
ruined. Even that glance reveals foundations and structures
which must have come down from the days of the first French
dominion. It was the work of that age of wealth and luxury,
to extend these long streets for miles beneath the shadow of the
mountain, to lay out these squares, and embellish them with
useful fountains, which still bring down and yield the universal
supply of pure, fresh water; to build those statelier mansions
whose handsome stone gateways, windows, and corridors still

A T FOR T-A U- PRINCE. 3 7 f

adorn some desolated spots outside of the town ; and to plan that
spacious white cathedral, which, if not very consistent in its
architecture, was, in its general effect, majestic and imposing.
It is possible that, in the bloody revolution which established the
independence of Hayti, some of the chateaux and wealthier
houses may have been demolished. But this could explain but
a very small portion of the present scene of decay. It is chiefly
the result of the terrible earthquake of 1842, which laid the
city in the dust, and overwhelmed a multitude with instantaneous
death."

The ruined city seemed to possess for him an intense interest,
and the ten days which he spent there, receiving the kindest
hospitality both from natives of the place and from Americans
temporarily settled there, were among the most pleasant of a very
pleasant winter.

LIII.

AT PORT-AU-PRINCE.

But Cape Haytien was not the goal for which the Bishop had
started, nor the place where his services were most needed, and,
on the 1 6th of March, he was glad to embark in a Haytien war
steamer, in which the Vice Consul had procured him a passage
for Port-au-Prince. Here he was received with the utmost cor-
diality and hospitality by the American Consul General, Mr.
Peck, and the Vice Consul, Mr. Conard, and it was in the house
of the latter that he found truly a home.

The last weeks of his life could not have been anywhere made
more comfortable. He was in what he called a "delicious cli-
mate," where it was a pleasure merely to breathe, and in, as his
journal states, "the airiest house in Port-au-Prince." The
house stands very near the bay, with nothing to intercept the
cool sea breeze, and the wide galleries, which at certain hours of
the day formed the family sitting and reception rooms, made it
unnecessary to seek exercise in the dusty street. Here he re-
ceived just the amount of attention needed to make him com-
fortable, without being harassed by too much. He could always

372 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

find society when he felt equal to conversation, but he was
allowed to remain quietly in his room or in the gallery, reading
or resting, without disturbance and without fearing that he might
not be thought quite civil. In short, both his host and hostess
made him feel at home, which is the truest hospitality.

For an account of his five weeks' residence in Port-au-Prince
and his labors there, we must depend on another pen. It will be
enough to say here that he did labor, and that he accomplished
the object for which he was sent by the Committee for Foreign
Missions. Every Sunday while there, he either took a large part
of the service, or preached. He held two confirmations, ordained
two persons, and baptized several children. On the 15th of
April, eight days before his death, he preached from Genesis,
xxviii. 20-22, but before reaching the end of his sermon, his
strength failed, he grew very pale, and was obliged to omit
several pages and conclude abruptly.

Some extracts from this, his last sermon, are here given. It
is strikingly appropriate, and they will be read with a mournful
interest.

" So surely and safely walks he who abides in the covenant of
the Lord. And now, ready to move forward with the light of
this morning on our journey towards the future, not knowing
what shall befall us there, let us remind ourselves that we are,
or should be, in such a covenant, and let us endeavor to assure
ourselves of the blessing of His protection, if we are ready to
make His covenant our steadfast choice

'I will be with thee,' saith the Lord; and that is a promise of
protection and of peace. For God is present wherever the chil-
dren of men are found ; and is about the path of every one of
them ; but to be with an individual, as He has here promised,
is to be at his side as a friend and defender. It is uttered, not
as a warning to inspire dread, but as an assurance, to fill the
heart with confidence. If you would have ever at your side one
to whom all your heart is open, and who both knows and loves
you better than you know or love yourself, the Lord will be that
friend. In Him are all wisdom, all kindness, all power; what-
ever you can need or wish ; admonition in prosperity, light in
adversity; and the fulness of all blessings must be with you
when He is Avith you in whom you have your being.

'I will keep thee,' saith the Lord, ' in all places whither thou
goest. ' What those places may be you cannot now guess, nor

AT FOR T-A U- PRINCE. 373

would you desire to know, if you are wise. Let them he still
hidden within the sole knowledge of God, till, in His time, you
shall reach them, one by one. But then, and till then, the
Lord whom all the angels serve, will keep you in your going
out and your coming in ; and you shall not be in any place in
which His heavenly messengers have not charge over the right-
eous. That ladder which Jacob saw in his vision has its foot at
every spot at which a servant of God lies down to rest. Your
lot may lead you across the ocean ; or over the almost boimdless
plains of the continent; into the heart of vast cities where crime
is as watchful as justice, where hundreds of thousands close their
eyes at once in sleep ; or into the most remote solitudes where
no sound of living creature is heard by day or night, except it be
that of the wild bird or beast. It may lead you where tempests
drive the vessel, where flames rush through the dwelling, where
the balls of death fly thick across the battlefield, or where to
breathe the infected air is to inhale pestilence. It may lead you
where you will be tempted by pleasures, which it is hard for you
now to imagine in their seductiveness, or else hard to think that
you could withstand ; or by injuries which it seems to flesh and
blood impossible to forgive; or by unbelief in forms which will
have then for you a power such as till now they have never worn
for a moment; or by the hideous but strangely mighty domain
of despair. You may be going, too, into sorrows for which you
are by no means prepared : nay, it is certain that if you live, it
can be only under the necessity of encountering a variety of
griefs, anxieties, and bereavement. The night will overtake you,
the night of trouble, the night of loneliness, the night even of
death. But here is the sufficient assurance for every time of
need and for every place of exposure: 'I will keep thee in all
places whither thou goest. ' There is no exception ; and you
cannot go where the Lord will not be at your right hand with
the shield of His defence.

To Jacob, as a wanderer, leaving his home and the house of
his father, the promise also was that the Lord would bring him
again into that land from which he fled. There is no such en-
gagement to any one who, now, in his youth, leaves behind him
his dear friends and his birthplace. He may never revisit them ;
but there is a prospect before him which is more than equivalent
to this. The earthly Canaan was the pledge of the heavenly :
'they looked for a city which hath foundations.' So, whosoever
gives up home and a father's house, may think of another home
and a celestial house, after all human habitations shall be dis-
solved. All the promises of God have there their termination
and entire accomplishment. The Lord will bring His servant
home."

374 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

LIV.

VISITATION IN HAYTI.

This section is a communication from the Rev. James Theo-
dore Holly, from the beginning of the mission in Hayti its faith-
ful leader and minister, and an eye-witness of the Bishop's last
labors for the Church.

" On the ist of May, 1861, a company of emigrants, composed
of one hundred and eleven colored persons, set sail from New
Haven, Connecticut, for Port-au-Prince, Hayti. A clergyman
of the Protestant Episcopal Church canonically resident in the
diocese of Connecticut went at the head of this emigrant colony
as its leader. They sought to better their social position, and
also designed to establish and perpetuate, under the blessing of
God, in the land of their adoption, the precious consolations of
religion, by founding in their new-made homes a pure branch
of the Church of Christ. The Rt. Rev. Alfred Lee, D.D., Bishop
of Delaware, made an episcopal visitation to the Church organized
by them towards the close of the year 1863, for the purpose of
administering the Apostolic rite of confirmation, and also of
personally examining the apparent prospects of Hayti as a mis-
sion field of the Church.

Bishop Burgess, who had been appointed to make the second
visitation, arrived at the Island about the middle of March, 1S66.

As the evidence of the self-denying manner in which he de-
voted himself to the episcopal functions which he went to Hayti
to perform, it may be mentioned here, that although in very
feeble health, he spared not himself in the least while there, in
going about daily, under a burning tropical sun, wheresoever an
opportunity presented itself, either to perform a ministerial func-
tion or to make closer observations of Haytien society, so as to
form thereby a juster idea of that country as a field for mis-
sionary labor. Thus, while at Cape Haytien, he walked on one
occasion the distance of a mile, in going to the house of a man,
a candidate for confirmation, who had felt himself too indis-
posed to be present for the reception of that rite in the Wesleyan

1 7SJ TA TION IN HA YTI. 375

Chapel at that place, where the Bishop had administered confir-
mation the day previous; but to all appearance this same
man, though somewhat ill, looked in every way a great deal
more vigorous than the invalid Bishop who arrived, exhausted
by the effort, under his roof, to administer to him the blessed
consolations of the religion of Jesus Christ, of whom the worthy
prelate was truly a self-denying apostle.

In like manner, while at Port-au-Prince, the Bishop rode a
distance of nearly three miles on a hard-trotting horse, which
was very kindly indeed placed at his disposal by a third party ;
yet this was an exercise that proved exceedingly trying to him
in the very feeble state of health in which he then found himself.
And yet he cheerfully endured it, and willingly subjected him-
self to this inconvenience, for the purpose of administering bap-
tism to several children of an American merchant dwelling in
the rural districts of the Haytien capital, but which children
could have been more conveniently brought to him. And
during the five weeks that he sojourned at Port-au-Prince,
besides assisting every Sunday morning at public worship held
at a place somewh, *■ convenient to his lodgings, he would also
walk more than a mile the same afternoon in going to the resi-
dence of the missionary, to assist in a small Sunday school com-
posed of adults and children, who assembled there for instruc-
tion in the word of God. Exhausted by the effort, he would
sometimes sit down by the wayside to catch his breath, and then
arise and pursue his journey until, arriving at last at the mis-
sionary residence, he would be obliged to take a seat below in
order to repose himself before attempting to ascend a steep stair-
way leading up to the chamber where the school was held.

Among the measures recommended and sanctioned by him
during this visitation, so as to place the work upon a permanent
basis for the future, we may notice the ordination of two native
ministers ; the recommendation to the Committee of Foreign
Missions of the stations that they were to occupy, for its patron-
age and support; the admission of six young men, already
attached to the mission in Hayti, as candidates for Holy
Orders ; and last, though not least in importance among those
measures, the recommendation and preliminary approval of a

376 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

plan of Convocation among the missionary laborers of the Church
in that island, having for its object the extension of the Church's
mission in Hayti, and the ultimate organization of a Haytien
branch of the Apostolic Church of Christ, by putting into imme-
diate execution such judicious and well-considered measures as
might facilitate it at arriving promptly at a self-supporting basis.
Among the measures embraced in this plan of convocation, the
Bishop laid the most emphasis on the organization of congrega-
tions wheresoever this was practicable in the various localities of
the island ; and forcibly urged the digesting and setting on foot
of a regular system of contributions, with the view of supporting
the work of the Church, by means collected on the spot, as far
and as soon as the same is possible. He took occasion to par-
ticularly impress this idea at Port-au-Prince, in some remarks
made to this purport at the annual parish meeting held on
Easter Monday, 1866, at which he was present, and afterwards
enforced the same idea upon the whole congregation, in some
further remarks made at the public service on the Sunday morn-
ing following.

In fine, after a careful and untiring examination of the claims
of the Haytien mission field, by close personal observations
both at the Cape and at Port-au-Prince, as well as by correspon-
dence with persons at Saint Marc and Cayes, the Bishop came
to the profound conviction that, by the blessing of God, there
were good hopes of building up a living branch of the Church
in Hayti, if generous preliminary aid should be given to the
work from abroad, and if judicious measures, adapted to the
circumstances of the country, should also be vigorously prose-
cuted in the mean time by those to whose hands the work in
that island is personally committed. The ideas of the Bishop
in regard to those measures, already partially developed above,
may be summed up in the following statements, which are, in
substance, his own proper expressions made during divers con-
versations held with the two missionary presbyters now laboring
in that field : To call forth and employ qualified native converts
to preach the Gospel ; to make them feel as far as possible a
full sense of the responsibility resting upon them to do the mis-
sionary work in Hayti; to set on foot at once among them-

7 ^ISITA TIOiV IN II A YTL 377

selves a plan of operations calculated to arrive promptly at the
ultimate assumption of that entire responsibility; and in the
mean time, to have them look upon the succor received from
abroad as temporary, and given to them on the express condi-
tion that they should put forth every possible effort to arrive at
that point where they may thereafter carry on their own work.

He further expressed the opinion that, as there is a number of
converts already made in Hayti by the previous efforts of other
missionary bodies, there is now no need of sending laborers from
abroad to work in that field, because the necessary laborers can
be found here, and ought to be called into activity. He also
added that, as he looked upon the present state at which the
work in Hayti had arrived, he did not believe that God imposed
the duty upon any foreigner to make the self-sacrifice to come to
Hayti as a missionary, seeing that native laborers can be found.
This opinion he frankly expressed to the British Wesleyan
missionary at Port-au-Prince, in a conversation that was held
between them on the subject ; although that missionary enter-
tained the rather extravagant idea that laborers ought to be
sent into Hayti from Great Britain and the United States for the
next fifty years. The views of the Bishop on this point are in
accordance with those now held by the Wesleyan missionary
committee at London, which has been engaged in the active
superintendence of missions in this field for the last sixty years,
and which has recently positively declined to accede to the
demands of their missionary at Port-au-Prince, asking them to
send more laborers from Great Britain into Hayti, and refused
to give its sanction to a proposed plan of his to invite such
laborers to come from the United States ; but, on the contrary,
the committee urges that the native converts must now com-
mence to do their own Gospel work.

The news of the death of Bishop Burgess, so suddenly after
having quitted the harbor of Port-au-Prince, on his homeward
passage, on reaching the brethren in that city, while it filled them
with the profoundest grief on the one hand, only served to stimu-
late them on the other, to execute the high and holy charge
which, under God, he had committed unto their hands, as the
last will and testament of this divinely sent apostle to the Church

378 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

in Hayti, whom God had taken to Himself, as a token of His
Fatherly approbation, at the very moment that he had fulfilled
his blessed apostolate. The members of the Standing Com-
mittee, those executors of his will as contained in his plan of
convocation, first united in rendering a becoming testimony to
the character of the illustrious prelate whose labors in Hayti
had been the last of his episcopate. Trinity Congregation at
Port-au-Prince followed, giving expression to its profound senti-
ments in view of that heart-thrilling event. And although we
cannot find place here for an extract from those testimonials, yet
we think it will not be amiss to close this section by referring to
a more recent tribute to the memory of the departed Bishop,
which took place at the laying of the corner-stone of the church-
edifice, designed for the use of the congregation at Port-au-Prince,
February nth, 1868. On that occasion two sheets of parchment,
left accidentally behind him at his lodgings, in taking his depar-
ture from Port-au-Prince, and bearing his signature and seal as
Bishop of Maine, were solemnly deposited among the sacred
archives sealed up in a leaden box, and placed under the corner-
stone, accompanied with this inscription : —

' These sheets of parchment were used by that venerable pre-
late in giving letters of ordination to those whom he had admit-
ted to the Holy Ministry. This Church of which we lay, at this
moment, the corner-stone, will be inaugurated under the name
of the Holy Trinity, and in the blessed memory of this Bishop,
whose Episcopal labors were brought to a final close by his
labors in Hayti. For, after having taken passage on board a
vessel to return home to his native land, he expired the 23d of
April, 1866, while still within the waters of this island, off the
coasts of Miragoane. We are indebted to his widow for the
materials which are to serve for the construction of this Church
and its accessories, among which is a school-house. The funds
that the friends of her deceased consort contributed for this pur-
pose not being sufficient, the Foreign Committee of the Mis-
sionary Board of the Episcopal Church in the United States of
America, appropriated the balance out of its missionary trea-
sury/ "

THE END. 379

LV.
THE END.

The last date in the Bishop's Journal is April 20th. He might
have written again on the 21st, but expecting to sail on that day,
the trunks had been packed and sent on board the vessel. At
sunrise on the 22d he embarked; and on the morning of the
23d, while resting on the deck, with no warning which he could
recognize, and with but a few minutes' warning to the single
watcher at his side, he was called to his heavenly home. It was
less like death than like a translation. "He walked with God,
and he was not; for God took him."

How little the Bishop anticipated so sudden and speedy a ter-
mination of his labors, was evident, both from his conversation
and from his letters. Having found that he could make his
whisper audible to a congregation, he looked forward to making
his usual Diocesan visitations on his return; and on the 21st of
April, two days before his death, he concluded a long letter to
Bishop Lee, of Delaware, in these words: —

"I shall hope to have the opportunity of making large expla-
nations, and conferring on the whole suljject of this Mission with
you at length, if it please God to bring me home soon, in tole-
rable health."

How thoroughly he was prepared for the end, at any time, is
shown by the following paper, which was found in the same
envelope with his will, without date, but with a fresh look, as if
written recently.

"If it should please God that my death should be sudden, in
the night or otherwise, I would wish my dearest wife and child
to understand that it was not without ample warning to me; and
•that I hoped to be, through His all-sufficient mercy in Christ, as
ready for such summons as for one which might allow me to
speak freely with them of our parting, and of my trust to meet
them again where we shall not part again ; forgiven and saved
forever, for Jesus' sake.

George Burgess."

380 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

After such a reminder of the shortness and luicertainty of
human life, Mrs. Burgess could not but take measures that, even
if she should' never reach her home, there might still remain
some account of the last hours of the Bishop. She, therefore,
while on her voyage home, wrote the following letter to her
family, which gives a full account of the beautiful, peaceful close
of a beautiful, peaceful life.

Barque Robert Murray, Jr., April, 1866.

"During the first two weeks after leaving home, my dear
husband appeared to improve so much that I was greatly en-
couraged ; but I soon saw that it was only temporary. After
that time I never felt that my letters home conveyed the truth ;
but I could not write as I felt, for he either told me what to say
about him, or asked me what I was writing about him, or took
my letter from my hand and read it ; and as long as he thought
that he was getting better, I could not run the risk of his reading
what might damp his hopes. Still, through the winter he had
no pain. His cough was not of a troublesome, wearing kind.
The worst symptom was that his constant expectoration caused
him to grow very thin. He did not seem to lose strength, how-
ever, in proportion as he lost flesh. Six days before he died he
rode two miles, on horseback, over a rough, mountain road,
and baptized three children, and returned the same way ; and
the last Sunday that he was on shore he read most of the Ante-
Communion Service, and undertook to preach, but was obliged
to close his sermon abruptly, when nearly through, because he
became exhausted with standing so long, and could not make up
his mind to sit down and finish it. Within five weeks he had
taken a walk of three miles, and within six weeks one of four
miles, without unusual fatigue. He fully expected to return
home and make his annual visitation in the Diocese ; and he
always looked forward to getting well ; and though I had lost
that hope, I thought that at his age, decline was not likely to be
rapid, and that by spending his winters in mild climates he might
yet be spared to us some years, unless he should have a hemor-
rhage. That, I thought, was the greatest danger, and it was my
constant prayer that he might escape such an attack, and be
permitted to see his friends at home again.

So the winter passed, and when our passage was engaged in
the Crusader, for which vessel we were daily looking, and it
seemed that in a few days we would be at home, I almost lost
my fears. But the steamer was so crowded upon her arrival at
Port-au-Prince, that we could not be taken on board. There
was then but one other way for us to go. The barque ' Robert

THE END. 38 1

Murray, Jr.,' had gone to Miragoane, a port sixty miles down
the coast, to complete her lading, and was to sail the following
Tuesday for New York, and our friends proposetl that we should
take passage for home in her. They assured us that we would
be quite as comfortable as in the steamer, and that the lengthened
voyage would be rather an advantage, and the Bishop said he
was well content with the arrangement. So they procured a
passage for us in the brig Jane, which was expected to sail for
Miragoane on the same errand as the barque, on Saturday after-
noon, at the same time that the Crusader sailed. In the after-
noon we received word that we could not sail till the next day,
and that we had better come on board at sunrise.

On Sunday morning, April 22, the Bishop seemed to feel a
little weaker, for he asked me to walk with him to the wharf,
that he might choose his own gait, and before leaving the house
he drank not only some chocolate, but some sherry also. As a
neighbor came on purpose to see him off, I could not walk with
him, but we seemeei to be walking so slowly, that when some
one met Mr. Conard and stopped him, I was surprised to hear
the Bishop say that he was glad to stop and take breath. Climb-
ing the ship's ladder cost him such an effort that on reaching the
deck he sat down on a bench exhausted, and was compelled to
rest before he could go to the cabin. The brig was a small one;
the cabin was partly above and partly below the deck, and on
either side, between the cabin and the railing, was a passage,
about three feet wide, which was quite retired. Here the steward
spread a mattress that the Bishop might rest. This must not
give the impression that they looked upon him as ill. It is the
custom of the country in making coasting voyages, where the
accommodations are not very good, for people to carry with
them mattresses and pillows, to spread on the deck, to lie on.
The Bishop spent the morning lying on the mattress, sometimes
asleep, but awake long enough to go through the Morning Ser-
vice with me, by dividing it into three parts. It was our custom,
when we could have no public service, to read it together, as-
suming the proper postures where we could ; but on this occasion
he remained on the mattress, and allowed me to read it all to
him, he responding only where his memory served him. The
wind died away, so that we lay in the harbor all day, and did
not sail till midnight. I said it was a pity we came on board,
as we might as well have been on shore all day. He replied
that it was better so ; that he hardly knew what he could have
done on shore, as he felt scarcely equal to walking to the place
of worship; but he added, 'I suppose I should have gone.' This
rather surprised me, as the distance was not great, and every
Sunday he had not only taken part in the Morning Service, but

382 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

in the afternoon had walked to Mr. Holly's Sunday School,
which was three or four times as far. In the afternoon he seemed
to feel somewhat rested, sat up more, in reading the Service
looked over the book with me, and I think read his part of the
Psalter. He went to the cabin at each meal, and at noon went
down and shaved himself, and in the evening, as it rained and
we could not be on deck, he went early to his state-room and
lay down, but at the same time told me that I need not think he
meant that for going to bed, as I knew his way of lying down at
all hours. After everything was arranged for the night, I pro-
posed to him that he should remain quietly in his berth and let
me kneel by his side while he said our evening prayers, and for
the first time he consented. He said them without apparent
difficulty, but with a slight catching of the breath. We neither
of us slept much, and several times in the night he left the berth
and sat up for a while. The cabin was warm, and at daylight
he proposed leaving it. Again I suggested saying our prayers
while he remained quiet, and again he consented. After going
on deck, where we had more light, I proposed reading our
chapters to him, but he said, no, he would read them with me;
and he read the alternate verses. The few steps from the cabin
seemed to affect his breathing so much that I proposed bringing
his breakfast to him, and he agreed to it. There was nothing
tempting for breakfast, and he only took a cup of coffee, and
afterwards a glass of ale, which he said was very refreshing, and
he was glad that he had thought of providing some for his voy-
age. He then went to his mattress again, saying that he must
make up for last night. Still I do not think he slept. In a little
while he sat up by my side and talked easily. He remarked
how suddenly and strangely this shortness of breath had come
upon him ; that the difficulty in getting on board the vessel he
thought was not so much want of strength as want of breath.
Then he reviewed the winter somewhat, saying that he had
shrunk from rapid walking or high flights of stairs, but yet had
been singularly little troubled in this way, but climbing that
ladder seemed to 'break him all up.' Still, he evidently thought
of it as a temporary inconvenience only, for he spoke of his
loss of voice, and said he thought he saw indications that he
should soon recover it. Lying down again, he attempted to
read a newspaper, but soon gave it up, and moving close against
the cabin, asked me to come and sit on the mattress close to
him, where we could talk more conveniently. The thought
flashed across me that the idea might have occurred to him that
he might not live to reach home, and he wanted to give some
directions ; but when I took the seat he seemed to have nothing
to say. I read to him some items out of the paper, and then

THE END. 383

talked abotit our return home. He assented to what I said, but
said nothing himself. I have since thought that perhaps by the
time I reached his side, he had forgotten why he wanted me.
Afer a while I told him I was crowding him too much for a warm
day, to which he agreed, and I went back to my seat at his head.
Up to this time my courage had not failed. In a few hours,
I thought, we would be on board the ' Murray,' where he would
have better accommodations ; we should sail the next day, and
once fairly out at sea, his strength would return, and he would
see his home again. But in a few minutes he sat up again,
leaning his back against the cabin, and looking off at an island
we were passing. I saw that his breath was coming very quickly,
almost in sobs, and he made some remark about not being able
to see much there, which raised the fear that his sight might be
failing. He turned to me and again asked me to come and sit
close by him. I sat by his side and took his hand ; I found it
quite cold, and I saw that his nails were turning purple. He
began at once to talk about Hayti. He spoke easily, but his
words were incoherent, and he seemed unconscious that he was
sliding from the foot of the mattress. I could not leave him,
but as soon as he paused I called to the Captain. He however
did not hear me. The Bishop said, ' Why do you call the
Captain ?' I told him that the Captain might help him to a
more comfortable position on the mattress. He said it was not
necessary, he could help himself. He, however, accepted help
from me, and raised himself farther on. Then finding that I
did not release my hold of him, he gently disengaged his arm,
saying with a sweet smile, ' You must not treat me too much
like an invalid.' He put his finger to his nose as if he thought
he had the salts, which he was accustomed to use when he felt
faint or weary. I handed him the bottle. He used it and re-
turned it, asking if it was his. Then he said, ' I will lie down
now.' These were his last words. I took my place again at
the head of the bed, and he laid himself down and closed his
eyes as if to sleep, but in a moment they partly opened, and I
saw that the light was gone from them. I knew that the end
had come, and could only pray that there might be no painful
struggle. There were a few quick sobs, and he was at rest. He
died April 23, at eleven o'clock in the morning.

All the time I knew that he was dying, but I could not tell
him so, and ask a farewell word. It v/as better for him as it
was ; for it would have distressed him greatly, if he could have
known how he was leaving me. I closed his eyes myself, and
then left him to the kind offices of the Captain, who did all that
could be done. Miragoane was then in sight, and the Captain
said we would be in in two hours, but that it would be better to

384 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

carry him down stairs before the pilot came on board. There
was no wind, however, and we could not enter the harbor, and
at nightfall they made up a bed for me on deck ; and on the
spot where he had fallen asleep in Jesus, I lay down to get what
rest I could. The next morning the Captain said he saw no
prospect of getting in before night, and it would not do to wait
so long ; he therefore proposed sending us ashore in the boat.
They laid him in the boat, and covered him with the ship's flag.
It was a long row of two hours and a half, but it was the best
thing that could be done, for the brig did not get in until the
next evening. I told Capt. Mulligan at once that I could not
leave my husband there, and he has done everything for me.
I could not have fallen into better hands. We lay five days in
port before the ship was ready to sail. The details of the pre-
paration to bring the body home were so painful, that at times
I thought it would be easier to bury him there ; but I knew that
when it was all over, I should be glad that I had persevered, and
if I left him there I should never cease to regret it.

He never dreamed when he lay down on . that deck, that he
would wake in Paradise; and what a joyful, glorious surprise it
must have been to him !

On the last morning of his life, he read, as usual the two
chapters. They were the thirteenth Psalm containing the words
'Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,' and the
23d chapter of St. Luke, in which is our Saviour's promise to the
penitent thief : ' This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. '
The last selection from the Psalter which he read on the pre-
ceding day, the 22d day of the month, was no less striking, if we
consider the words only, and forget that they were intended as a
denunciation : ' Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a
widow, and his bishopric let another take.' "

LVL

TIDINGS OF THE BISHOP'S DEATH.

It would be in vain to attempt to convey an idea of the im-
pression which the Bishop's death made on the whole community.
Every sign of public and private mourning was exhibited. When
the news was first received at Gardiner, the bell was tolled for
an hour, and again when his remains arrived ; which were met at
the depot by a procession of citizens, who conveyed them to the
church, where they remained during the ten days that passed

TIDINGS OF THE BISHOP'S DEA Til 385

before the funeral took place. Letters of condolence and sympa-
thy came to his family from those who were also mourners.
From these it is needless to attempt to select passages for publi-
cation ; but a few sentences will be given from letters written
after the first flush of sympathy had subsided, and coming from
such different sources as to show how far he was from being re-
garded as belonging to any party in the Church.

The Rev. Dr. Howe wrote: "Mrs. H. and myself always
felt it a high privilege to receive Bishop Burgess into our house.
He was one who inspired entire confidence. He never made a
frivolous remark. He was not taciturn nor yet loquacious. He
spoke only when he had something to say ; and few subjects could
be introduced above the range of ordinary gossip, that he was
not qualified to speak upon. He was never uncharitable, though
severely just. His bravery was as manifest as his gentleness.
He dared to do anything that he believed to be a duty. He
uttered his opinions with such careful discrimination and free-
dom from passion, that they carried unusual weight. No par-
tisan of whatever extreme, ever felt it quite safe to differ with
Bishop Burgess, and so his influence was almost universal : not
because he was a trimmer or a go-between, but because he was
upright and independent, and regarded all questions on their
naked merits.

How mysterious that such a light was withdrawn from the
world in its meridian brightness ! That all those stores of learn-
ing have been snatched from this impoverished world, to enrich a
sphere where there was no need ! In the face of such perplexities,
we can but wait until our darkness shall be turned to light, and
God's wisdom and goodness are approved even to our finite
minds."

The Rev. Dr. Tyng wrote : " He possessed my reverence and
confidence in a very high degree. I most cordially delighted
in the purity of his character, his childlike godliness, and his
unshrinking fidelity to duty. Such a character becomes a most
valuable pattern to those who come after him. Most thankful
should I be to participate in the excellence which I saw in him.
Bishop Burgess' talents and attainments were, in my judgment,
of a very high order. His accuracy of information in details
was equally remarkable. But as far as ' charity which edifieth'
excels ' knowledge which puffeth up,' so much more precious
and honorable, were those high religious qualifications, which so
eminently distinguished him, superior to all talents or attainments
of a mere intellectual worth. It was a great pleasure to meet him
25

S86 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

here always. It will be a greater pleasure to meet him again
where we may separate no more."

Bishop Southgate writes of him "as being a man cast in a
mould of his own, bearing something more than the ordinary
stamp of ordinary humanity."

Bishop Whittingham, in answer to an expression which had
been used by another, and which implied that though excellent
friends, they were sometimes antagonists, wrote : "I had never,
to my recollection, looked upon my departed brother, even for
an hour, as an antagonist ; greatly as I have repeatedly felt myself
constrained to differ from him in judgment of men and measures.
None can more lament the loss of my profoundly respected
and beloved associate in official cares and responsibilities than. I
do. None, I think, can be more sensible than I am of the in-
jury (to human estimate irreparable), which the counsels of the
Church must suffer by the removal from them of his experienced
wisdom, keen sagacity, and loving simplicity of Christian truth-
fulness. But I lack the ability and the means to do justice to
the noble character, which has nevertheless left an indelible im-
pression on my heart."

And it was not from Churchmen alone that such expressions
came, but similar words dropped from the pens of others who
having labored by his side and witnessed his daily walk, had
learned to respect and love him as a brother in Christ.

From the various resolutions passed by different societies and
parishes, only those have been selected for insertion in this
volume, which were passed by the Foreign Committee of the
Board of Missions.

Extract from the Minutes of the Foreign Committee, May 28, 1866.
DEATH OF BISHOP BURGESS.

''Whereas, by the decease of the Rt. Rev. George Burgess,
D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Maine, the Church is called, in
the Providence of God, to mourn the loss of one of her best
Bishops ; and whereas the last labors of his life we're bestowed
in behalf of the Foreign Committee of the Board of Missions,
in furthering the important enterprise of the mission at Hayti,
the Foreign Comanittee not only sharing the common grief of
the Church but mourning their peculiar loss, desire to record
their estimate of the high worth of the character and life of
Bishop Burgess, and do therefore

Resolve, First : That in our remembrance of Bishop Burgess,

TIDINGS OF THE BISHOP'S DEATH 38 7

we recall a character of singular exaltation and beauty. With
a mind clear, fertile, and richly furnished with the fruits of
thought, by which he took easy rank among the best scholars
and writers of the times, he consecrated his trained powers
wholly to the work and ministry of the Lord. His moral sense
was so true, that his judgments had the force of intuition, and
it begat a life so pure as never to have been blamed.

Springing out of his conscience was his eminent courage,
which, while unaggressive, was yet unflinching in maintaining
the right that he so clearly perceived, and bearing always thus
a moral dignity, his championship always honored his cause.

With these bolder .traits, the genial and the gentle were so
intimately mixed, as made him prompt and winning to every
form and intercourse of kindness.

His devoutness was so constant, that we can hardly think of
him as having devotional periods ; his zeal so steady, as not to
be quickened by impulse ; his benevolence so fervid, that it
could burn no brighter with occasion.

In the character thus rounded and balanced, there was a
native nobility of manhood. With the imprinted power of grace
and self-consecration to God and acting itself out in unwearing
labors, it gave us the saintly life of Bishop Burgess as of a man
who literally walked with God.

Resolved, therefore. Secondly: That while we, in common
with his friends, his parish, his diocese, and the Church at
large, mourn for the loss of the wisdom, the purity, the sweet-
ness of piety which fix his place high up among revered and
saintly men, we would at the same time express our gratitude
for the self-sacrificing temper which constrained him to conse-
crate his latest labors to the enlightening of the dark places of
the earth with the light of the Gospel which he loved.

Resolved, Thirdly: That the Foreign Committee tender to
the family of the late Bishop Burgess the assurance of their
profound and affectionate sympathy.

Copy from the record. Sam'l D. Denison,

Secretary."

A short tribute is added from an oration pronounced a year
later in Christ Church, Hartford, before the Connecticut Beta
of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, by the Rev. William Rudder,
D. D., of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia.

Picturing those who had been prominent at Trinity College,
when he some years before had been a student in its walls, he
says : —

388 . MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

" I see another standing by this altar — my pastor, my gentle
critic, and my friend ; learned, yet hmiible, so humble that men
guess not half how learned he is ; meek, yet firm, so firm in
what he believes to be the right that they cannot imagine even
the wells of utter tenderness that are forever springing in his
breast ; the man who, of all I have ever known, seems most
constantly to live in an atmosphere of heaven ; the Christian
scholar, the Christian poet, the Christian priest, soon to be the
Bishop laboring, as such an one as he must labor, through his
allotted time, and then, from the calm surface of the summer
seas, mounting upward to his rest in the fiery chariots of the
tropic sun."

LVII.
SERMON OF REVEREND JOHN T. MAGRATH.

On the Sunday after the tidings of the Bishop's death reached
Gardiner, which was Whitsunday, Rev. Mr. Magrath, Assistant
Minister to the Bishop, preached a sermon full of sorrow and
of comfort.

But short extracts can be made.

"St. John xiv. i8: 'I will not leave you comfortless; I will
come to you.'

May the Almighty Saviour, wl;o will never forsake the afflicted
and the fatherless, help us to feel beneath us the everlasting
arms ! This silent pulpit and this now vacant chair tell us more
loudly than can any voice of man, that he who for so many
years was the faithful preacher and the watchful pastor, will fill
them no more forever.

How swiftly and overpovveringly the recollections of this now
hallowed period of his ministry, which so endeared him to this
people, come crowding in upon us. We have seen him, speaking
the words of peace to the representatives of a former generation,
as he walked with them in their declining years down to their
last resting-place. We have heard him, as he so ceaselessly, so
searchingly, so fervently, and yet so kindly, delivered the mes-
sage of his Lord and Master, and pointed sinners to the foun-
tain of salvation, to the cross of Christ. How often, at this
font, has he poured upon the heads of the penitent, 'the water
of regeneration,' and gently folded in his arms the tender lambs
of the flock. It seems, even now, as if the walls of this sanc-
tuary were echoing back the notes of that voice, never to be

SERMON OF REV. JOHN T. MAGRATH. 3^9

forgotten, which so constantly offered up the sacrifice of prayer
and praise at this desk and altar.

But not this Church alone brings him back to the bereaved.
There is not a home or hearth, without its memories of him,
which must not be uttered. The chamber of sickness, the house
of mourning, the abode of misery, will ever tell us of the min-
ister of consolation, of the most sympathizing of friends, of one
foremost in his endeavors to alleviate suffering. There is hardly
a house in this wide parish, where there has not been ' one
dead,' and a time when his voice sounded beneath its roof as a
voice from the land of peace and light. He was loved every-
where by all. The mansion of the rich ever welcomed his
entrance, even though every word of his spread a chastening
influence, and the dwelling of the poor knew no more frequent
visitor, no more cheering guest.

People in every walk of life, and the old no less than the
young, looked upon him with veneration. Denominational
limits never diminished his regard for others, nor did those
limits seem to restrain the love drawn by his lofty character,
his holy life, his pious deeds, from those beyond the pale of our
communion. Love, love for all was manifested at his every
step ! Has God brought this peaceful, blessed ministry to its
end ? Is all this that has been spoken, of the past ? Shall we
never more behold those benign, those noble features? never
more listen to the dearly loved tones of that nourishing voice ?
O, Father of our spirits, breathe within us of thy Spirit, that we
may bear this blow ! O, Physician of our souls, heal, heal the
wound thyself hast made ! A parish without a pastor, a diocese
without a head, the church of the whole land with a strong
pillar prostrate !

But after all has been said, how empty all words seem ; how
little they express what the consciousness of each one testifies
that he was to us. The void, the distressing void, that has been
made, can never be filled by any picture, even though it be
true to the life, which language can paint. Now the work of the
workman, the watching of the watchman, the care of the pastor,
the toil of the preacher, have all found their close too soon,
too early for us, we might well say, were it not in God's own
time. He like the Apostle ' very gladly spent and was spent
for us.' His life was given to his parish and his diocese, and
in being given thus was given to his Maker. He not only
proved that ' it is a true saying. If a man desire the office of a
bishop, he desireth a good work,' but through the grace of
Christ, he so fulfilled the precepts of the inspired word relating
to that office, that he became a bright example for all Christian
Ministers. For all things, with a humility remarkable even in

390 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

the lowliest, he was always ready to say, ' Give the glory to
God ;' and yet with a perseverance and diligence seldom wit-
nessed, he pressed forward in the course of his duty. He toiled
for us, my brethren, long after he had stepped upon the path of
decline. The cords of affection, which united him to his parish
and his parish to him, were inwoven with the very fibres of our
being. He could bear the thought of anything rather than of
separation from those whom he loved so deeply, and for whose
well-being he was willing to sacrifice his all.

His labor lasted while life lasted : with him there was indeed
no discharge from the conflict. It was his heartfelt desire to
remain among us, and maintain the pastoral relation, even when
his voice had failed ; but the Providence of God seemed to point
to greener shores and a milder climate. When at length he yielded
it was only in the firm hope that his health might be restored,
and he return to labor more abundantly than ever in the vine-
yard of the Lord. After his Diocese and his country were left
far behind him, still the work for Christ went on. In the islands
of the ocean, with joy at realizing the truth of ancient prophesy,
while a traveller and an invalid, ' he ceased not to teach and
preach Jesus Christ,' to baptize, to confirm, and to ordain; truly,
while his armor was burnished for continuance of the warfare
against Satan and sin, the great Captain of the hosts called him,
who on earth allowed himself no rest, to that everlasting ' rest
which remaineth for the people of God ;' called him who here
sought no reward, to receive the crown of righteousness, which
is laid up for those servants of the Lord, who have ' fought a good
fight, who have finished their course, who have kept the faith.'

He had turned his face homeward, and the Avaters of the ocean
were bearing him towards that flock for which his heart was
ever yearning, when 'his hour was come.' But his weakness
increased, his breath grew shorter and fainter, and ' let me lie
down' could at last break even from his lips. On the gentle
waves of the Southern Sea, he was rocked to his last slumber,
and without a pain or a sigh, ' falling asleep in Jesus,' he awoke
not until in the realms of glory. For us, oh for us, my dear
brethren, there is loss, loss irreparable ; for him, only gain,
gain eternal. That blessed experience was his, which as a bright
dream he once described in those sweetly breathing lines : —

' But oh, with what a bounding thrill,
I felt the airs that never chill,
The strength that knows not years.
No cloud in all the heaven's sweet blue;
No more of doubt, where all was true ;
No death to close the longing view ;
No dream of future tears !'

FUNERAL SERVICES. 391

We can but offer siii)plications from our inmost souls, that
while the gracious Spirit from on high comes to comfort, to sus-
tain, and to guide. He may also endue us with the will and the
strength to follow that instruction, to walk by that counsel, to
imitate that example. Remember, my Christian brethren, how
he lived the life of Christ. Remember his charity. Remember
his humility. Remember his 'moderation.' Remember his
holy zeal for the Master. Remember his faith.' When that
calm and noble countenance, upon which your eyes have so long
rested, comes before you, in the Church, at your toil, or in the
deep quiet of your homes, think upon, and as you think, resolve
ever to obey, the admonition of the Apostle St. Paul: ' Remem-
ber them which had the rule over you, who have spoken unto you
the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their
conversation.' My ciear friends, our beloved Bishop, on a day
still fresh in the remembrance of you all, said at this chancel
rail, 'If I never speak to you again, obey the Gospel.' How
those words this day ring through this Sanctuary, ring in every
ear ! Hearts which have continued hard until now must melt
to day ! If there be one here in the presence of his God, who
has heard for long years the message of the living ambassador,
but thus far has given no heed, listen, listen in this hour to him,
' who being dead yet speaketh.' Amen."

LVIII.

FUNERAL SERVICES AND ADDRESS.

"On the day appointed for the solemnities of the burial of the
departed Bishop (May 30, 1866), the Standing Committee of the
Diocese, and a large number of the clergy of this and other
dioceses, assembled at Gardiner, with a crowd of citizens.

The burial service was read in the following order: The sen-
tences on entering the church, by the Rt. Rev. Thomas M.
Clark, D.D., Bishop of Rhode Island, leading the procession
of the clergy in surplices ; the lesson by the Rev. William W.
Niles, Professor in Trinity College, Hartford, Conn. ; and the
139th hymn was announced by the Rev. William R. Babcock,
D.D. , of Jamaica Plains, Mass. The commemorative address was
delivered by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Clark. The 201st hymn was
announced by the Rev. Thomas F. Fales, of Waltham, Mass.,
who also concluded the service in the church with appropriate
collects.

In the removal of the body to the cemetery adjoining the

392 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

church, the clergy of the Diocese officiated as pall bearers, and
the wardens and vestry of Christ Church, Gardiner, with the
lay members of the Standing Committee as body bearers.

The sentences at the grave were read by the Rev. William S.
Chadwell, of Catskill, N. Y. ; the committal by Bishop Clark ;
the following prayers by the Rev. Dr. Babcock ; and the apos-
tolic benediction was pronounced by Bishop Clark. All the
officiating clergy had been members of the Diocese of Maine.

The setting sun was throwing its rays over these solemnities,
as the remains of the beloved Bishop were left 'to await that
glorious resurrection in which he so truly believed, and for
which he so constantly urged men to prepare.' "

The following is the address delivered by Bishop Clark, of
Rhode Island.

"A great and good man has been taken from the earth. A
faithful soldier of Christ has entered into his rest.

It requires a keen appreciation of Christian ex(^ellence for one
to form a just estimate of such a character as his. To give the
outline of his biography is an easy task, for that was calm and
uneventful ; but to lay open the inward experiences of his heart,
to analyze the workings of his acute mind, to appreciate the
force of his sturdy will, to penetrate the spiritual depths of his
being ; few men are competent to do this. I wish that it had
devolved upon some one who moved upon the same lofty
spiritual plane where the feet of our departed brother ever
stood, to discharge the duty which I am called to fulfil.

Bishop Burgess was the son of the late Hon. Thomas Burgess,
for many years Judge of the Municipal Court in the city of
Providence, Rhode Island. He was born on the 31st of Octo-
ber, 1809, and during his boyhood was distinguished for his
industry and intense devotion to study. He was an incessant
reader from the earliest dawn of his intellect, and graduated
with the highest honors of his class at Brown University, at the
age of seventeen. He then entered upon the study of the law
in the office of his father, and after completing the full course
of three years, was appointed tutor in the University of which
he was a graduate. At this time his thoughts were more than
usually arrested by religious truths, and the duty which he owed
his God and Saviour so impressed his mind, that he determined
to relinquish the profession for which he had qualified himself,
and devote his life to the work of the Christian ministry. He
accordingly entered upon theological study under the direction
of his pastor, the Rev. Nathan B. Crocker, D.D., then at the
height of his maturity, and who, after having survived all his

COMMEMORATIVE ADDRESS. 393

contemporaries in the ministry of the Church, has within a few
months been called to his reward. After awhile Mr. Burgess
went abroad in order to complete his preparation for the sacred
work to which he was looking forward, and remained in Europe
for three years, studying and attending lectures for a portion of
the time in the Universities of Berlin, Bonn, and Gottingen.
On his return home he was admitted to Deacon's Orders du-
ring the month of June, 1834, by Bishop Griswold, in Grace
Church, Providence. On the second day of the following No-
vember, he was ordained to the Priesthood by Bishop Brownell,
in Christ Church, Hartford, Conn., and on the same day was
instituted as Rector of that Church. In this parish he continued
to exercise the duties of the ministry, until his appointment to
the office of Bishop in the Diocese of Maine, his consecration
taking place in Christ Church, Hartford, on the 31st of October,
1847. At the same time he became Rector of Christ Church,
Gardiner, and continued to discharge the duties of this parish,
as well as of his Diocese, until the period of his death.

It became evident during the last summer that the unremitting
labors of Bishop Burgess, who never allowed himself recreation
of body or rest of mind, were beginning to tell upon his natu-
rally hardy constitution ; and after the adjournment of the
General Convention in October, where he appeared in his place
every day and manifested as much activity and interest in the
affairs of the Church as ever, under the urgent advice of his
physician and friends he sought the repose, which he would
have been very reluctant to take if he had remained at home, in
a foreign and more congenial climate. The winter was passed
in the islands of the tropics, not altogether in inactivity; for
such was his nature and habit, that so long as he had any
strength to work, he was certain to exercise it wherever he had
the opportunity. After the organs of speech had almost lost
their power, he preached, and administered Confirmation, and
although he was able to speak only in a whisper, by the force
of his will managed to make that whisper audible. The time at
length came, to which he had looked forward with such longing,
when he was once more to turn his face homeward. Loving as
he did his own field of labor so fervently, and with such tender
associations gathering around his own home, we can imagine
with what eagerness he waited for the breeze that was to bear
him again to his native land. But his native land he was des-
tined never to see again. On the bosom of the deep, as he lay
on the open deck with his face turned heavenward, without
warning and without a struggle, suddenly his liberated soul fled
from the earthly tabernacle and lived with Jesus.

This is the brief and simple story of his outer life, placid, un-

394 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

eventful, equable; and so too for the most part was his inner
life, moving on peacefully, a calmly-flowing stream, unbroken
by rough and precipitous rocks, keeping always within its ap-
pointed banks, and all along adding to its volume and depth
from the tributary supplies which constantly poured into it.

Bishop Burgess' natural endowments were much above the
ordinary standard. He always possessed in an eminent degree
the gift of application, which is in itself a talent of great value.
Whatever subject he took in hand, he mastered it thoroughly.
When, some years since, a little anonymous work from his pen
appeared, entitled 'A Few Pages from the Ecclesiastical History
of New England,' the question was asked at once in all quarters.
Who is there that has had the opportunity and the patience to
ferret out all the obscure facts brought to light in this publica-
tion, and the wonderful skill to arrange and present them so
ably and effectively?

After reading his unique and extraordinary book on the sub-
ject of death, called ' The Last Enemy Conquering and Con-
quered,' in which there is compressed an amazing amount of
information on all the phenomena of dissolution, I remarked to
him that I wondered how he could ever have collected such a
mass of peculiar and minute material; when he replied, that if
I could see the quantity of matter which he had thrown aside in
the preparation of the work, perhaps my wonder would be much
greater. ' He was a singular man in this respect, that he would
go down under ground in search of hidden veins of ore that
nobody else had ever thought of exploring, and when he had
struck a vein, he worked until it was exhausted. Then he
would come up into the daylight, and looking round upon the
beauties of the earth and the sky, take his harp and sing of
God's glory in the flower and the crystal stream and the golden
clouds, as though poetry were the atmosphere which he habitu-
ally breathed and the most natural utterance of his mind.
Looking at him in one aspect you would say, this man is a de-
posit of statistics, a patient collector of facts, a simply practical
man ; from another point of view, he seemed to be full of deli-
cate fancies, with all the cords of his being strung to music.

The last time that I heard him preach, he took for his theme
the Ritual of the Church. The discourse was an able and im-
pressive argument for the prayer book, draped in gold and ver-
milion ; or, to use a more appropriate illustration, it was a kind
of rhythmical chant, and might have been fitly accompanied with
psaltery and cymbal and organ. His poetry was never prose,
although his prose was sometimes, not always, poetry; and
some of the lyrics which broke from him during his earlier
years, at a period of high excitement, when the red hand of

COMMEMORATIVE ADDRESS. 395

civil war threatened to deluge his native State with blood, are
among the household words in Rhode Island. . . . . . _

Although he possessed this singular combination of opposite
elements, there was nothing incongruous in his intellectual or-
ganization : on the contrary, the prevailing impression which he
left upon your mind was that of a man peculiarly well-balanced
and symmetrical.

In surveying the personal character of Bishop Burgess, the
first thing that would attract notice and fasten itself upon you,
was the clear and unmistakable evidence of his indomitable in-
tegrity. It was contrary to his nature that he should ever do
violence to his own conscience. The general confidence in his
honesty was in great part the secret of his extensive and powerful
influence. You might sometimes think that he was wrong in his
convictions, but you could not doubt that they were his real
convictions, and you might rely upon it that he would act ac-
cordingly. For with this integrity he had also an iron will,
which nothing could break and nothing could bend, when it
had taken its direction. He might suffer in the discharge of
what he felt to be a duty ; but if he did, he would suffer and
make no sign. This sometimes led people to suppose that he
was cold-hearted, whereas his soul was tender as a child's, and
he would not let a worm suffer, if he could help it. It is true
that he did not always meet you with those outbursts of demon-
strative affection in which some persons allow their feelings to
evaporate ; but if you were in trouble and he could lift the bur-
den from your shoulders, he would do it at any cost to himself.

He was by nature of a somewhat quick and excitable temper,
but Divine grace had taught him how to curb it, and you would
hardly suspect that this was a prominent trait in his character,
unless you happened to see him when his eye kindled with holy
indignation at some palpable meanness or outrageous violation
of justice. The general serenity of his demeanor might lead
some persons to under-estimate the force of his character ; but
his virtues were by no means of a negative sort, and he was as
positive and persistent as he was quiet and reserved.

He could comprehend and tolerate an honest difference of
opinion, but in order to this he needed to be satisfied that it was
an honest difference. He had an instinctive abhorrence of every-
thing like show and affectation ; in private or in public you never
felt that he was saying or doing anything for effect. He dreamed
of, and projected no grand schemes which perished in the plan-
ning, and indulged in no ebullitions of feeling which came to
nothing.

There are some men of marked ability who manifest in their
demeanor an habitual consciousness of the fact ; their quiet as-

396 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

sumption of prerogatives, and air of superiority in dealing with
their inferiors may not be specially offensive or intrusive, but
are still prominent enough to be noticed and felt. In Bishop
Burgess there was nothing of this. There was no gracious con-
descension in his manner, no bending down as from a lofty
height to greet you, no ostentation of civility, no show of humi-
lity, and this because he had such a natural simplicity that he
did not think about himself at all.

In public debate he was firm as a rock when any great prin-
ciple was at stake, and it was hard to blind him or turn him aside
by raising any false issues ; but he was never overbearing, never
reluctant to listen to the arguments of his adversary, and give
them due consideration, never ridiculed or exulted over an op-
ponent, and never seemed to care for victory, merely for the
sake of victory. Whenever he had occasion to administer re-
buke, he did it in such terms and with such a manner as indicated
how much he suffered under the necessity, and how anxious he
was, as far as possible, to spare the feelings of the offender.

In recalling his general characteristics, the one thought which
leaves the deepest impression is this ; what a true man he Avas !
Because he was so true you always knew where to find him ; and
wherever you did find him, you also knew that he would be
sure to stand, so long as he thought it his duty to stand there.

There are not many men who can bear being seen through, as
he could ; and if I were to write his epitaph in a single word,
that word would be, Trustworthy.

The peculiar traits of his natural character were all strikingly
manifested in his religious life. He was not clad with piety as
with a garment which he put on and off at seasons ; his religion
was not an appendage to the man, something factitious and, in
certain respects, inconsistent with the general tone of his charac-
ter': it was a living power which pervaded his whole being, re-
fined and elevated all the processes of his intellect, and sanctified
all the motives and desires of his heart. It was not a fitful,
spasmodic piety; not a coruscation of brilliant hopes followed
by seasons of murky darkness ; his faith shone rather like a
beacon light on the rock, with a clear and steady flame, alike in
the storm and in the calm.

It was both a principle and a feeling ; it was a principle, be-
cause it was based upon reflection and knowledge ; he was fa-
miliar with all that could be said to the injury of the Gospel,
but no cloud ever came between him and his Saviour : it was a
feeling, for it was based upon experience ; he had found Christ
so precious to his soul, that nothing could separate him from the
love of Jesus. His piety did not intrude upon you in the forced
and technical use of pious phrases, but it gave a chastened and

COMMEMORATIVE ADDRESS. 397

hallowed tone to all his conversation, as it did to all the conduct
of his life.

No one ever suspected him of feeling less than he expressed,
and no one ever detected any open inconsistencies between his
profession and his practice ; whatever other failings he may have
had, no one ever charged him with hypocrisy. He was earnest,
but not impassioned ; faithful, but not intrusive ; serious, but
not sullen \ scrupulous, without any Pharisaic rigor.

While he was the Rector of Christ Church, Hartford, his time
was divided between his study, his church, and the houses of his
parishioners, and no one knew that he ever passed an idle hour.
There are few clergymen who study as much and write as much
as he did, and there are few who visit their flock as frequently.
He sympathized with them in every joy and in every sorrow.
He came as an angel of counsel to the bedside of the sick, and
as a messenger of comfort to the household of the bereaved.
After he left Hartford, when the hand of affliction fell upon the
people, they wanted Bishop Burgess to come to them in their
grief and minister to them.

He was one of the most indefatigable sermon-writers in the
land ; a certain portion of every day was devoted to this work,
and the close of the week never found him hurried or unpre-
pared for the duties of the pulpit. His discourses, ever fresh
and new, were well-digested, varied in form and subject, in-
structive, and full of the truth and unction of the Gospel. His
manner was not specially graceful, and his elocution not particu-
larly impressive ; but there was an earnestness in his utterance,
a thoughtfulness and research in his composition, and oftentimes
a beauty and richness in his style, which made the hearer obli-
vious of all defects. It was evident that he had carefully ex-
plored and mastered the subject which he handled, and that he
felt the solemnity and truth of what he uttered. As a preacher
he kept on growing from the beginning, and was more popular
in the pulpit during the closing years of his life than ever be-
fore.

Those who heard his address last winter at the funeral of
Bishop Brownell, cannot fail to remember with what exquisite
delicacy of perception he seized upon the peculiar traits in the
character of that venerable and saintly man, and with what
nicety of coloring he depicted the beauty and simplicity of his
life. And yet I am told that this address was written on Sunday
evening, after the public labors of the day were over.

When our departed brother became Bishop of Maine, he rose
at once with the emergency, and soon manifested a range of
abilities which astonished even those who had expected most

398 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

from him. With all the other duties which of necessity crowded
upon him, he continued to be just as devoted a pastor, and just
as diligent a preacher in the parish where he ministered, as he
was when these were his only vocation.

And how thorough he has been in the discharge of all his
episcopal functions, you, my brethren of the clergy and laity,
do not need that I should testify. He had one eminent qualifi-
cation for the office of a Bishop, and that was the catholic spirit
which enabled him to recognize, and inclined him to use, all
the various gifts of men ; allowing to others the same liberty of
private judgment in regard to things incidental and subordinate,
which he claimed for himself. His position in respect of parties
in the Church allowed him to do this without inconsistency. He
was by nature too free and independent in his modes of thought;
he had been too diligent a student in the history of doctrine,
and his studies had led him over too wide a range in the great
field of knowledge, to make it possible for him to be trammelled
by the rigid and cast-iron shackles of party.

He was a Churchman in such a sense that he loved the
Church with all his heart ; believed most thoroughly in her
doctrines, worship, polity, and apostolical constitution ; wrote
valuable and convincing works in defence of her principles and
in explanation of her usages ; gave all his time and all his ener-
gies to her work ; and this, I take it, indicates genuine, earnest,
sound Churchmanship. It was not in accordance with his taste
to hurl anathemas into other camps of the Lord, and he thought
it better to invite those who are without, to enter our commu-
nion with gentle and winning words, than to repel them by
acrid denunciation. He offered no compromises, kept back
nothing which it was needful and right to say, while he was
uniformly careful to give no superfluous occasion of offence.
His tastes as well as his opinions were strongly wedded to the
peculiarities of his own communion ; he loved her solemn ways,
and fully appreciated the spiritual benefits as well as the doctrinal
conservatism, secured by her venerable ritual.

It is not his fault that a radical change for the better was not
long since introduced into our service, in the only particular
where it is seriously defective. He labored long and earnestly
for the introduction by authority of a collection of hymns, into
which the rich treasures of ancient and modern lyrical composi-
tion might be gathered ; and I think most persons will allow
that his own metrical version of the Psalms would be a great
improvement upon that now in use. I never heard any one
deny that he received the pure and unadulterated doctrines of
the Gospel in their simplicity, and preached those doctrines
faithfully, earnestly, and emphatically. It does not appear that

COMMEMORATIVE ADDRESS. 399

he regarded any human digest or system of theology as exhaus-
tive of the truth, or that he was ever claimed as a follower of
any leader but Christ and- His inspired Apostles. He was not
averse to controversy where a fundamental doctrine was as-
sailed ; but he did not attach special importance to many of the
subtle points of casuistical Divinity, about which theologians
have disputed. He was on terms of fraternal intimacy with
men of all recognized and tolerated shades of belief in the
Church, and was beloved and trusted by all. His character
would have given him power and influence, with whatever
school he might have been associated ; but his views were so
well balanced and comprehensive that, under no provocation,
could he have become a violent theological partisan.

The whole public and private character of Bishop Burgess
was both subdued and intensified by the spirit of habitual and
sincere devotion. He lived in daily and hourly communion
with God; he did nothing without seeking Divine direction, and
prayer came spontaneously from his heart. He was a godly
man, inasmuch as he made his own will subservient to that of
God, and was ready to do whatever his Master demanded of
him. In the days of martyrdom he would not have shrunk from
the stake, for he sometimes took up what was to him a heavier
cross than death.

In the prime of his days, before his threescore years were ac-
complished, this great and good man has been taken away.
What a void he has left in the household circle ! Such a hus-
band, such a father, such a brother; how he must be mourned !
We know that it is all well with him, we have not a fear or a
doubt as to his destiny, but still it is a very heavy blow that has
fallen upon you. His pleasant smile, his affectionate greetings,
his kind counsels ; these will gladden and direct you no more.
The shadow lies across your threshold, not unrelieved by rays
of celestial light, and yet the shadow is there. God has laid
upon you a sore trial, but He will give you strength to bear it.
You will listen no more to hear his familiar step, but he waits to
hear your footstep in the streets of the celestial city. Your
earthly home will be his no longer, but his heavenly home may
be yours forever. Do not think of him as dead. He lives more
truly than he ever did before ; his duties are nobler, his aspira-
tions purer, his thoughts more transcendent, and he wears a
whiter robe, for it is now all washed clean in the blood of the
Lamb. He sings such a song as it never entered into his heart
to conceive while he dwelt here. His cares and anxieties and
toils are all ended, and his dust is now to be consigned to the
dust as it was, but his pure spirit has returned to God who
gave it.

400 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

There are many in the community beside his own family circle,
who mourn the loss of a wise counsellor, a trusty friend, and a
faithful Pastor. For nearly twenty years he ministered in this
sanctuary, directed you in your perplexities, comforted you in
your sorrows, and by his example and his precepts, pointed out
to you the path to heaven. How many words of solemn warn-
ing he has spoken in this place ; how many urgent entreaties \
how often he has tried to bring you in faith and penitence to the
cross of Jesus ; and now he speaks to you from the mansions of
the blest, and beseeches you to be ready to meet him there. If
you never gave heed before, O listen to him now ! He may
still watbh over you ; and if he sees you one by one consecrating
your hearts to Jesus, it will add to his joy even in Paradise.

It is a day of mourning, not only with the members of his
own flock, but with all Christian people in the community. So-
ciety has lost one of its chief ornaments, works of charity one of
their most generous supporters, the poor one of their best friends,
and the coimtry one of its truest and most loyal citizens. His
sympathies and labors were not confined within the limit of a
narrow circle ; whenever the heart of the community throbbed
with any great and absorbing emotion, his heart throbbed too ;
and if there was any work which he could do consistent with his
station, he was ready and glad to do it. In the welfare of the
poor, the rescue of the abandoned, the enlightenment of the
ignorant, and the purification of the State, he took a profound
and active interest. He never forgot that he was a citizen as
well as a clergyman, and that in both relations he had personal
responsibilities. You will find it hard to fill his place, for his
simple presence was a benediction.

And what shall I say to my Brethren of the Clergy and the
Laity of this Diocese, who have come up here to pay their last
tribute of respect to the remains of their departed Bishop, their
loved and loving father? You do not need that I should remind
you how much he has done for this Diocese, how ready he has
been to respond to all your wants, how cheerfully he has sacri-
ficed his own comfort at your call, how generously he has con-
tributed to the necessities of the Church, how kincl and forbear-
ing he has been, how wise in counsel, and how tender in the
hour of your adversity ; you know it all, and feel it all more
sensibly than we can portray it. It is a great blessing for the
first Bishop of a Diocese to be such a man as he. If his succes-
sors walk in his footsteps, what a harvest may be reaped in this
portion of the Lord's vineyard ! It will be very sad not to see
him any more in your Conventions, in your missionary gather-
ings, and in the annual round of visitations ; pray that his spirit
may still abide with you and direct all your doings.

MONUMENTAL MEMORIALS. 401

The Church throughout the land mourns his loss. In the
General Councils of the Church, no man will be more seriously
missed than he, for no man wielded a more potent and salutary
influence. In the House of Bishops, whenever he spoke, all gave
heed. His fearlessness, his sincerity, his soundness of judgment,
his wise discrimination, and his strength of intellect, gave him
a power which was almost always irresistible. We shall all feel
that there is a great void there, now that the voices of the Bishop
of Pennsylvania and the Bishop of Maine are silent.

But I must resist the desire to dwell any longer upon this
theme ; the time has come for us to say our last words of prayer
over these silent remains, and then bury him with his people.
There is a mournful pleasure in the thought that this precious
dust was not left to moulder on a foreign shore. It will lie in
the place which he chose for his burial, and this will be a hal-
lowed spot in the sight of many generations.

We bear him forth to his grave with slow and reluctant step,
and many bitter tears will fall upon the sod that covers him ;
but looking away from earth we see his glorified spirit standing
close by his Saviour's side, and we are comforted.

And as we sing over his last resting place the cheering anthem,
* Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord,' we shall hear the
words echoed back by a voice from heaven, and feeling so sure
that our friend and father has received the crown, amid all our
tears and lamentations we can cry with exultation, ' Thanks be
to God, who hath given him the victory, through Jesus Christ
our Lord !' "

LIX.

MONUMENTAL MEMORIALS.

At the head of the Bishop's grave in the churchyard at Gar-
diner, in the year of his death, the Diocese erected a monument
in the form of a large marble cross, resting upon a marble pedes-
tal. The height from the ground to the top of the cross is six-
teen feet ; and the breadth of the arms is five feet. It has but
the mitre and crosier carved upon it, and the inscription : on the
one side —

"George Burgess,

First Bishop of Maine,

Born October 31, 1809,

Consecrated October 31, 1847,

Died April 23, 1866."

26

40 2 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

On the opposite side —

"Erected by the Diocese of Maine
In grateful remembrance of a faithful and beloved Bishop."

To the testimony of the large gratitude and love thus evi-
denced, may be added one very significant incident.

All the summer of 1866 loving hands kept the Bishop's grave
bright with fresh flowers, and later in the season a bimch of ripe
wheat was placed on the mound. One day in the autumn it
was discovered that the wheat had sprouted and sent up a mass
of fine green shoots. On attempting to raise it for closer exami-
nation, it was found that the roots had struck deep into the earth,
and that it could not be removed. May we not look upon it as
prophetic, and have faith that the seed which he sowed will con-
tinue to ' take root downward and bear fruit upward,' yielding an
abundant harvest?

A year later a handsome tablet was placed in Christ Church,
Gardiner, by the parish, with this inscription : —

"In

memory of

The Right Rev. George Burgess, D. D.

Born at Providence, R. I., October 31, 1809;

Ordained Deacon June 10; Priest November 2, 1834;

Consecrated Bishop October 31, 1847;

Rector of this Church

During his Episcopate ;

Died at Sea near Hayti, April 23, 1866.

Learned, judicious, saintly;

Living for Christ and the Church ;

Loving all, beloved by all;

Faithful in every trust, even unto death ;

This tablet is erected

By a mourning and grateful Parish."

In the year following the death of the Bishop, Captain J. Igna-
tius Stevens, of Gorham, Maine, a valued Parishioner of St.
Luke's Church, Portland, left by will an estate, which it is be-
lieved will not be less than seventeen thousand dollars, to Rev.

BISHOP COXE'S COMMEMORATIVE SERMON. 403

Dr. Burgess, "in trust, to be expended by him in charitable
works, or in such way as he shall deem most likely to aid
in keeping in remembrance and honor the name of the good
Bishop Burgess."

The estate will come into possession of the Trustee upon the
death of the widow of Captain Stevens.

LX.

At the request of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of
Maine, the Rt. Rev. A. Cleveland Coxe, D.D., Bishop of West-
ern New York, prepared a sermon commemorative of the life
and character of the first Bishop of ]VI,aine. It was designed to
be preached in the Bishop's Church at Gardiner, on the eve of
All Saints' Day, 1866. This design was not fulfilled, but it was
subsequently preached in Providence, Hartford, and Boston.

It has never been printed, and is now kindly furnished by the
author as the last section of this Memoir.

"THE MAN OF GOD,
A COMMEMORATIVE SERMON.

'Let the man of God which Thou didst send come again unto us and teach
us.' — Judges xiii. 8.

The commemoration of saints departed is a principle re-
cognized in Holy Scripture as full of practical benefit to mili-
tant saints on earth. ' Remember them who have

spoken unto you the Word of God : whose faith follow, con-
sidering the end of their conversation.' In obedience to this
precept, the Church has appointed this feast of All Saints, con-
cerning which I once heard your departed Bishop speak with
warm enthusiasm. 'It is,' said he, 'one of the more modern
of our festivals, and one of associations not altogether pleasant,
in view of the history of its introduction to the Western Church ;
and yet it seems to me one of those with which we should be
most reluctant to part, so full it is of consoling suggestions and
so strongly entwined with our dearest affections, in the memory
of those who have gone before us to rest.' The eve of a feast
which he so tenderly appreciated is alike the anniversary of his

404 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

birth and of his consecration ; thus it is happily chosen for this
commemoration which is threefold in its nature; a commemora-
tion of his death, of his nativity, and of his Episcopate.

It is not my purpose to do again what has been already done
so well, to condole with an afflicted diocese, and to soothe the
grief of the fatherless and the widow. Nor do I mean to recite
again the story, now so familiarly known, of his progressive
stages through life ; nor to describe anew that memorable scene
on the deck of a little vessel where he so calmly gave up his
spirit to his Lord. But, supposing all this to be known, I pro-
pose in a reflective way to recall the man of God, and in the
spirit of the text to let him teach us ; asking at every step what
lessons we ought to learn from such an example as he has left to
us. At such a time as this, we may naturally feel that it is a
calamity that he can instruct us no more by his persuasive
words. His death, free as it was from death's sting, and full
as it was of the peace which passeth understanding, must strike
our limited intelligence as strangely ordered, and prematurely
sent, as a trial to our faith. Such a man was wanted, never
more than now, in the counsels of the Church ; and we might
go on in this strain till it should seem to be a murmuring at the
decrees of Providence. But enough : He in whose sight the
death of His saints is precious, has called him from his ministry
on earth. His holy will be done. By the tenor of his life, and
by those qualities with which nature and education, and, above
all, the grace of God had endowed him, he can yet, in our
grateful recollections, 'come again to us and teach us.'

Let us first endeavor to recall something of the Man. In re-
membering even good men, we are often troubled by an intru-
sive consciousness of marked and memorable failings, or at least
of blemishes not inconsiderable, and of inconsistencies to be
deplored, against which memory seeks in vain to close her eyes.
Our recollections of Bishop Burgess are singularly free from such
disturbing considerations. In a day, when a low standard of
personal behavior affects the manners even of the clergy, it is
pleasant to recall his manly propriety of conduct, and that dig-
nity of demeanor of which his characteristic cheerfulness never
deprived him. He bore about him, indeed, the air and manner
of 'the man of God,' and though his address was marked by
the reverse of austerity and sanctimoniousness, it always repelled
a vulgar familiarity, or a rude inquisitiveness. A manly front
was his, aud features which often brightened into more than
comeliness. He had a natural carriage which well became the
Bishop, and his commanding form inspired the respect of all
at first sight. As a parish priest I used to admire his appear-
ance, as he stood in the pulpit, in his cassock, with gown and

BISHOP COKE'S COMMEMORATIVE SERMO.V. 405

bands. In his episcopal robes he looked as a prelate should,
at once the servant of Christ and the Master in Israel. If these
are qualities the least essential to a Bishop, I am sure they were
quite subordinate in him, but I mention them because in com-
l)ination with what is more important, such characteristics are
always felt to be advantages. The outward man is often the
visible token of the grace within.

This manliness of the Bishop was strangely compounded and
made quite consistent with something womanly in his nature ; it
was not weakness, but a secret of power. It gave him an in-
stinct rather than a mere principle of purity, delicacy, and ten-
derness. Withal, he had a child-like playfulness of thought and
action which, at times, he did not care to restrain. By this,
chastened and elevated to suit the occasion, he could win the
confidence of children, and find his way to the hearts of youth.
Those who knew him intimately, were well aware of his keen
sense of the ridiculous, and of his power of sarcasm when he
felt called to expose meanness or hypocrisy or treachery. At
times, his habitual mildness was exchanged for virtuous indig-
nation, and kindly as he was by nature, he could be sternly
repulsive and even severe when he designed to administer a de-
served rebuke. To my mind, his prominent natural character-
istic was his love of justice. An unfriendly critic, at times,
might pronounce him obstinate and even severe, but when the
sense of right was uppermost, and when he conceived it his duty
to assert it, this obstinacy was pure principle. He might err in
judgment, but his sympathies were always active in behalf of
what he believed to be just. His adversary might call it rigor-
ous and unfeeling, but those who knew how absolutely his con-
duct was governed by his convictions of duty, could not fail to
honor his fidelity. And such sovereignty had this quality over
his actions, that I have often remarked that it worked as often
against his predilections as it did with them. His inclinations
were very frequently sacrificed to his love of truth. I have seen
him, when dealing with an opponent, disarm himself and give
up his case, instantaneously, on discovering that he had been
mistaken as to facts; and often, from convictions. very unwel-
come to his feelings or prepossessions, I have seen his desire to be
just inspire him with conduct that seemed almost like a romantic
generosity. Inch by inch he would maintain his ground against
what he supposed was an aggression : he would surrender it,
even in the moment of victory, if he perceived, even then, that
he had triumphed more by his skill in controversy, than by the
strength of his cause. In this consisted the elevation and no-
bility of his character ; the subjection of .his whole nature to
truth as he saw it, and when he saw it. This rendered him in-

4o6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

capable of being a partisan. He was no one's man; he be-
longed only to himself, to truth, and to his Master, Christ. It
was therefore a difficult thing to stand against him, on any ques-
tion, in the councils of the Church ; but, on the other hand, it
was a great thing to enlist him in behalf of any measure dear to
one's heart. Often, his sense of justice led him to act, for the
time, with those who were by no means his favorites ; and all
men felt that he was never to be counted on for any course,
simply because it was one with which his personal friends were
concerned. God be thanked for men of such character, I care
not with what school they may be naturally classed. The Ca-
tholic Church has room for men of widely different sentiments,
and tastes, and opinions. But give us, for the credit of our holy
religion, schools, and not parties ; give us men who represent
their side of truth without a spirit that is one-sided ; and, above
all, men like the departed Bishop, who would not consent to gain
a triumph for truth itself by any trickery or foul-play, and who
would rather fall in fair fight, than unhorse an antagonist by a
blow dishonorably dealt.

Do not suppose for a moment that I have attributed to him,
in any degree, mistakes in judgment, except such as are contin-
gent to the best and wisest of men. As a whole, his life is singu-
larly free from any practical error, and rarely has judgment been
more infallible than his, in measures, if not concerning men. I
speak as a representative of a school, not by any means his own,
and yet I know of no Bishop in whose wisdom I could more
thoroughly confide, where any doubts might disturb me. He
was prudent, perhaps a little more than was essential to the
balance of his character ; but who would not prefer such an ex-
cess, to any corresponding exaggeration of impulse and the
spirit of experiment? He was no friend of innovation, yet was
he liberally conservative. Surely the Lord directed the Diocese
of Maine when it chose such a man for its first Bishop. The
whole Church has reaped the benefit of the lot that fell upon him.
His sagacity and devotion to duty in the councils of the Church
have been felt in measures of the greatest importance, and his
example will yet speak to his brethren, now that his voice can
be heard no more.

In his intellectual fabric the reason presided over the imagi-
nation, but his logical powers were finely tempered by his fancy.
He was a man of taste, but his taste never stole a march on his
predominant common-sense. He was a man of feeling, but his
sensibilities were under complete control ; his affections were,
apparently, not passionate, but they were strong, they were, in
nothing, imaginative or artificial. Good sense was eminently
his characteristic. With much of the sagacity for which New

BISHOP COKE'S COMMEMORATIVE SERMON. 407

England is proverbial, his high moral sentiment relieved it from
all tendency to the cunning with which its keenness is often re-
proached ; and if he had little of romantic honor, or mere chi-
valry in his composition, his integrity was more than equivalent.
As a scholar, all these qualities combined to make him what he
was; a man whose learning was genuine, not showy; whose at-
tainments were for use, and not for effect. Few of our clergy
have surpassed him in solid acquirement. His college learning
was far more exact than is common in America. He had gained
something valuable from each of the three German Universities
at which he accomplished himself, and he never wholly laid
aside his classical studies. Of the modern languages, he was
quite familiar with French, and German, and his knowledge of
the Italian was considerable. His sacred learning, however,
was his specialty; he habitually explored his Hebrew Bible,
and his Greek Testament was open before him day and night.
He delighted in exegetical study, and in sacred antiquities ; his
fine fancy and intense love of research made him almost a
master of the entire range of Ecclesiastical History; while, in
the department of English Church History, more especially, he
was equal to any of his contemporaries. Without for a moment
subordinating the study of the Scriptures to any other branch
of knowledge, he felt very profoundly how important to the
thoroughbred ecclesiastic is a knowledge of history; how much
it is in the making up of any man; how entirely the Anglican
theologian is dependent upon it for the enjoyment of that moral
supremacy which is his birthright, and which it enables him to
maintain over the champions of all systems which have sacrificed
the grand historic continuity and unity of the Church of Christ.
It could hardly be imagined that a divine so devoted to his
work, and so thoroughly practical, should be also the general
reader, keeping up with foreign periodical literature, deeply in-
terested in the journalism of Europe, and watching with keen
attention the rise and fall of its political leaders. Yet more re-
markable it may seem to some that such a man was familiar with
the British Peerage, nearly as much so as an English Bishop
would be of necessity; and yet this knowledge was the honest
product of his reading and observation, and wholly different
from that which is often obtained at second-hand by silly pre-
tenders to fashion. An abundance of historic anecdote spiced
his table talk, and without any display, he used his general
knowledge at times with telling effect in debate. His love of
English literature was connected with his love of the Church of
England, and he cherished as the privilege of a Churchman, his
right to take a deep interest in everything that belongs to the
Mother Church. He knew her intimately as a mother ; he

4o8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

gloried in her Reformation; he could defend her cause against
the Puritans, and yet he could concede to the latter all they
might justly say in self-defence. Her impregnable position, as
respects the Romish enemy, he fully understood, and nothing
was dearer to his heart than those principles for which Ridley
and Latimer suffered at the stake. Of the great German Refor-
mers I often playfully accused him of being too partial. He
was no Calvinist, but for Luther his admiration was intense ; to
me it seemed disproportioned and excessive ; but he loved his
own Church more than all things on earth, though his loyalty
to the Bride was ever subordinate to a supreme love of the hea-
venly Bridegroom.

And here is the place, perhaps, to speak of that fine poetic
vein which distinguished him, and of which he gave us evi-
dences so precious though so few. It was the poetry of cul-
ture and of taste ; it was generally faultless in versification, not
elaborate in structure, the simple expression of devotional
feeling, of the love of nature, or of a refined patriotism. His
version of the Psalms is one of the best in the language, it is
critical and precise, but too conscientiously faithful to the origi-
nal to be appreciated by ordinary readers. Few scholars are
more familiar than he with the best and greatest of the English
poets ; he had much of their nobler numbers in his memory ;
and he delighted in recalling and criticizing the finest passages
of the old English writers. He thoroughly appreciated their
delicate expressions and quaint forms of speech ; and his own
accurate prose was formed, not by artificial rules and servile
imitations, but by familiarity with the old masters. Well would
it be for the Church if, in these respects, his example might be-
come a tradition ; if only it might be the common sentiment of
our clergy that, more than others in America, they are bound
to study and maintain the purity of that language, of which our
sublime Liturgy and Common English Bible are the choicest
treasures.

I have been tempted to say much of the scholar ; it has sug-
gested what I have to say of the divine. He was not merely
the preacher, but as a pastor his character was most exemplary.
Among the poor, I can bear personal testimony that he was ever
going about doing good, while he was a parish priest, and all
classes of his parishioners were blessed by his faithful attentions
to their spiritual wants. It is surprising how intimately he knew
them, and how generally he was their counsellor. I always felt
that his example in this respect ought to be kept before the
younger clergy, as a stimulant to effort and exertion. The
secret of his fidelity was not that he ' had a taste for it,' as is
sometimes suggested by those who make excuses for their own

BISHOP COKE'S COMMEMORATIVE SERMOW 409

inactivity. It was simply his sense of duty. Much as he loved
his home, and the society of friends, their allurements never
kept him from the hovel of the needy, from the house of mourn-
ing, or from offices to the sick and dying, which involved great
sacrifices of self, and which sometimes exacted condescensions
such as only an angelic charity could render proper and becom-
ing. He loved his darling studies too, and knew how to burn
the midnight oil with all that ardor of the votary, which Milton
so finely describes in the Penseroso ; but never did he suffer this
fine enthusiasm to excuse his neglect of what he owed to the
souls of men ; and often has he turned from a vigil with Plato,
to watch, for Christ's sake, through the long night at the bed-
side of the sick ; to rear an altar in the chamber of the dying ;
to awaken the impenitent from his torpor ; to present Christ
Jesus to the haggard soul of remorse ; or to console the believer
in his agony with the words of the Crucified. In short, 'he
watched for souls as one that must give account.' Would to
God we might all hope to render in such an account, as in that
day shall be his glory and his crown !

In composing sermons, the same sense of duty kept him ever
at work, always beforehand, and hence never forced to enter
his pulpit without a message from God to dying sinners, or
words of truth and love for the edification of the faithful. His
sermons, entirely free from all meretricious effect, are magnetic
with the charms of style ; they are delightful reading ; they are
full of the love of souls, and of the love of Him who died to
save them. In the pulpit, he was not a popular orator, but he
was something better ; he was an earnest and attractive, as well
as an instructive preacher of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Thoroughly evangelical and practical, he was yet never tempted
to substitute pious feeling for religious principle. He once said
to me; as he entered his vestry-room after service : ' I hope you
did not set me down for a mere moralist to-day ; but I feel more
and more that we all need to be taught to follow the example of
Christ, as well as to trust in his merits.'

I have sometimes thought he greatly resembled, in more re-
spects than one, the late Dr. Arnold of Rugby. Nay, I have
imagined that he himself was aware of some natural similarities.
But his theology was more strictly that of the Church, and he
was entirely free from Arnold's enthusiasm. He had seen in
America the ultimate consequences of the license which Arnold
was disposed to give to mere human speculation in things divine;
and with as deep a distaste for the Oxford school of the last thirty
years, he was yet a truer disciple of Hooker, and a more friendly
critic of those great Caroline divines with whom he somewhat
differed. Naturally, he was of that school which rose after the

41 o MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

Revolution of 1688, the school of Tillotson and Seeker, yet he
deplored the coldness and torpor which settled upon the Church
in the Hanoverian age, and he felt the warmest sympathy with
the revival of practical piety for which the names of the Wes-
leys must ever be held in grateful remembrance ; and for which
we have reason to bless the memory of Cowper, of Hannah
More, and of Wilberforce, as well as that of the clergy with
whom they were fellow-laborers.

What a favor from Almighty God it is, when a character such
as I have thus far imperfectly delineated, comes, in maturity of
years, to be invested with the Episcopal Order and Ministry !
I can only speak of the Bishop, however, as his Episcopate im-
pressed me in a point of view somewhat remote. Dear man of
God ! I used to cherish still a fraternal pride in him, based on
our long acquaintance and friendship in early years, even while
I revered him as far above me, not a brother bishop, but a father
in God. He sat so sedately in his Episcopal throne; he reigned
so modestly there, and with so little of the spirit that 'lords it
over God's heritage,' that I often pointed him out as in these
respects the ideal of a primitive Bishop. And yet he so firmly
maintained his authority that, in this too, he filled up the Pauline
portrait of a successor of the Apostles. He permitted none^to
trifle with him, in his high stewardship under God ; no man
despised him. Such a Bishop contributes to the tone and charac-
ter of his order. He made men feel not only that a true Bishop
is an Apostle, but also that a Bishop of the primitive spirit is a
star in Christ's right hand. But there was a specialty in the
life and episcopate of Bishop Burgess which must not be over-
looked. He devoted himself, with all the tenderness of filial
love, to a practical resolution of the religious problems pre-
sented in the condition of his own New England. He was a
son of whom New England may well be proud. He was a New
Englander in every pulse of his heart, as well as in every fibre
of his flesh, and every atom of his bone. Dearly did he love
these rugged coasts ; warmly could he speak of the Pilgrim
Fathers; earnestly could he defend even the sterner features of
their virtue ; and with a genuine enthusiasm would he maintain
the importance of many characteristics which they have im-
pressed upon our whole nation. Nor was it in a narrow spirit
that he delighted to dwell, in prose and in verse, upon the
charms of New England landscape ; upon the simple beauty of
her social institutions in by-gone days ; upon the elevated char-
acter of her educated classes ; upon her intelligence, her enter-
prise, her public spirit, her untiring activity, and her liberal use
of wealth. It was only when he came to her religious condition
that the tone of his eulogy was changed. Even in this great

BISHOP COXE'S COMMEMORATIVE SERMON. 411

matter he would claim much for her ; he was not blind to her
good works; he was even ingenious in framing apologies for
her spiritual decline; but, with a heart overflowing with tender-
ness, he lamented the inextricable confusions of her faith, and
longed to see her restored to communion with the great heart of
Christendom. This he justly felt, and boldly showed, is a res-
toration which might be accomplished, by reverting to the prin-
ciples of those earlier Puritans who, taught by the experience of
three centuries, could find their natural place in the historic
Church of the 'Anglo Saxon,' as it now exists in America.

To this solution of the great problem, his whole career points
with a noble eloquence ; but such also is the argument con-
densed in two of his little works. I mean his historical review
of the decay of old Calvinism, and his sketch of the origin of the
New England ministry. In the one, he shows what results have
followed the attempts of the early settlers to found a religion
without creeds, without a liturgy, and without a historical
ministry; in the other, he shows that the primitive pastors of
New England were, in large proportion, ordained presbyters of
the Church of England, owing their best characteristics to their
nurture in her pale, and enabled, by what she had done for
them, to do what they did for America. At the same time, he
leaves the reader to draw his own inferences, as to what might
have been the fruits of their piety in these latter days, had they
only understood the danger of breaking off from historical com-
munion with the Holy Church, in all the world, and of substi-
tuting inorganic and speculative institutions for the primitive
system and the Catholic creed. The consequences of their rash
experiment are such as it would have shocked them to contem-
plate. I hazard nothing in saying that, could they rise from
their graves and see the form which their Mother Church has
taken in this country, as enfranchized from State thraldom, and
organized with due reference to the rights of the presbytery and
the laity, they would not only urge their descendants to unite
with us, but, in view of their too general departure from the
Faith of the Gospel, would lament that they themselves had not
discovered in due time those great principles of organic Chris-
tianity, by which that Faith would have been transmitted to their
offspring whole and undefiled.

Of all parts of our country, the most homogeneous in its pop-
ulation, and the most thoroughly English, it may justly claim
the best blood in the nation, even in that sense of the term in
which it has been so persistently challenged by our brethren at
the South. It is not my desire to diminish, in any reipect, their
reverence for their own history, nor do I care to dwell on such
a claim for New England, yet I assert, with a full understanding

412 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

of what I say, that if the talk be of ancestry, there is an old
escutcheon here for every one that is lifted there, and that those
who claim them are ready to see their pretensions sifted, or to
have their heraldic colors searched for a blot. In nothing is
New England behind the chiefest of her sisters in the Republic.
I am not afraid to meet her enemies in the gate ; and yet, as in
some sense one of her children, I am deeply sensible of her
faults: I feel them and I fear them. I see her rapid degeneracy
in religion, and I dread the consequences for herself and for
the nation, of her tremendous energies, her mental forces, and
her physical activity, when I see them all working towards so-
cial disintegration, and to a state of things in which there can be
no practical appeal to conscience and to the fear of God.

The time is at hand, when the pious intellect of New England
can no longer affect to sneer at those grand principles to which
its forefathers turned a deaf ear, when they were expounded by
the immortal Hooker, in tones of prophetic warning and of
lamentation, worthy of Jeremiah. How wonderfully has the
religious history of New England verified and glorified those
laws of ecclesiastical polity. I say again, and I wish Andover,
and Harvard, and New Haven might hear me, the time is at
hand when those old books must be studied anew, and when
their undying argument will reassert its power. Even now those
principles are moving the nations ; they are creating reformers
in the east and in the west ; they are restoring the life and vigor
of Nicene Unity to long estranged portions of the family of
Christ. When this movement begins to be understood in New
England, then the life and character of Bishop Burgess will be
felt in all her schools, as pointing out the true resource of her
sons. The memory of Leighton, even now, is becoming as a
load-star to Scotland : I think it will not be long before thou-
sands in New England will find a guide out of anxiety and
doubt and unbelief, in the holy and luminous example of Bur-
gess.

And here I cannot forbear to mention tenderly, yet in strong-
est contrast, the name of Channing. It seems to me that his
splendid failure was due to the very natural mistake he made in
breaking away from old Calvinism, without first patiently study-
ing its historical struggles in the Church of England, and the
nature of that controversy in which, as I have hinted, their
fundamental errors were so admirably detected and exposed by
Hooker.

Channing felt intensely the dissocial element which old Puri-
tanism had bequeathed to his native State ; he saw in its civili-
zation something unlovely, and he felt that its repulsive ortho-
doxy was, somehow, at the root of that which he so ardently

BISHOP COKE'S COMMEMORATIVE SERMON. 4^3

longed to reform. His conflict with it seems to have been un-
premeditated, but, once at open war, he felt himself pushed out
of it into that negative position, which his taste and genius suf-
ficed to decorate, as something personal to himself, but to which
nothing could impart the force of a substantial system, or of a
positive Faith capable of regenerating and vitalizing a great
people. Hence, though the life and character of Channing
may be profitably studied as part of the history of his times, it
has failed to transmit anything palpable to ours. To what does
it clearly point ? What that he taught is, even now, definitely
and aggressively held, even by those who most admire his ge-
nius? Has he left even a school in New England, that insists on
his forms of thought and opinion as meeting the evils he wished
to remedy ? I believe no one will assert it. He failed to un-
derstand the disease; he could not prescribe the cure. Nay, he
has unconsciously aggravated the essential evil to which the re-
ligious confusions of New England, and all that is unlovely in
its social state, may be reasonably traced. That evil is the pure
individualism which its founders ventured to substitute for or-
ganic unity and the visible communion of saints. The polity of
the old Calvinists separated children from parents, and neigh-
bor from neighbor, just as it individualized every several con-
gregation, and severed it from all visible unity with the rest of
Christendom. Still it designed to leave the bond of a common
faith, and even imagined that this bond would prove the more
powerful because wholly freed from creeds and sacraments.
But it was reserved for Channing to dissipate this delusion ; his
history proves how impossible it is to preserve the Faith itself
without external forms and instruments, and at the same time it
illustrates the ultimate consequences of Individualism, in de-
stroying even the spiritual unity of professed Christians. His
rejection of the cardinal truths of the Gospel dissolved the last
fibres of unity between his followers and the world of believing
Christians ; his negations, if accepted by others, must more and
more demoralize and disintegrate the religion of the land. His
position is useful only as illustrating a reduction to the absurd,
of the principles with which Puritanism itself had inclined his
mind, in spite of his loving heart. As sons of the old Puritan
stock of New England, who early in life discovered the effete
condition of its Orthodoxy, and who struggled out of it in
widely different directions, I find, therefore, in the lives and
characters of Burgess and' Channing much that is worthy of being
contrasted or compared. Both were men of polite culture, of a
nature refined and sensitive, and entitled by birth and education
to a high position in society. Both were men of mark from
their youth ; the essays of Channing were fortunate in attracting

4T4 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

the attention of critics, but the sermons of Burgess are not less
attractive in style, and are such as the caprices of literary fashion
will be less likely to reject. If the one was the more popular as
a rhetorician, the other was the deeper thinker and the more
practical teacher. Channing was naturally humane, but Bur-
gess was conscientiously beneficent. The former thought pri-
marily for man's temporal welfare; the latter could teach him
how to ennoble the sorrows and sufferings of this life, in follow-
ing the Redeemer and working out eternal salvation through
His blood. The one was sensitive to the wants of humanity;
the other felt still more profoundly the provision that has been
made for the human race by the Incarnate God. Both disco-
vered that the cold intellectual light of Edwards, and even the
more genial brilliancy of Dwight, were no longer capable of
warming men's hearts and minds into satisfaction with an unlov-
ing and unlovely Puritanism ; but Channing sought his relief by
discarding from Puritanism its only good thing, namely, that
Orthodoxy which it had retained from the Creed of the Church;
while Burgess, grateful to God for that, not only embraced it
ardently, but, by means of it, found his way back to the Church
itself, the rejection of whose Creed and Liturgy and primitive
organization, had been the fatal mistake to which all the other
mistakes of Puritanism might be logically and historically traced.
Thus Channing threw himself into the cheerless abstractions of
rationalism, but Burgess found his orbit in the pathway of Faith
about Christ Jesus, the Central Sun. Channing never disco-
vered that Christianity was other than a system of morals, con-
tained in a venerable book, on which he was at liberty to build
his own theories and speculations ; but Burgess discovered that
the book itself was committed as a law to our visible Church,
and that this Church was the form in which Christ himself left
His system to the world, with the promise 'that the gates of
Hell shall not prevail against it.' Hence, the one became an
isolated doctor, bequeathing to his age just so much as his per-
sonal influence might make men accept ; but the other took his
place in a line of witnesses, as a wise master builder, rearing the
positive institutions of Christ, in new fields, and leaving them to
his legitimate successors to perpetuate and develop. In effect,
the one threw little else than solvents into the social and reli-
gious world, all tending to break down, to separate, and to de-
stroy ; the other was a workman in the cause of construction and
repair, reducing what he found in chaos to order, to system, to
unity and harmony of operation and design. Channing, in a
word, in spite of his estimable traits and his undoubted philan-
thropy, was forced by his fundamental error to come and go as
the meteor of a sect, sparkling for the moment, but expiring in

BISHOP COKE'S COMJMEMORAriVR SERMON. 415

a marsh, leaving no definite track and pointing out no way in
which successive generations may be made and moulded for
glory in Christ Jesus; but Burgess was himself a simple follower
in the footsteps of the faithful, and his lamp was brighter and
brighter unto the perfect day, showing to young and old how
to walk with God, by adhering steadfastly to the Faith once de-
livered to the saints. By the vacillating sentiments which were
the last utterances of Channing, one is deeply impressed with
the conviction that his feet were in the quicksands, and that his
fine-spun theories gave him no support at the last ; but the dying
days of Burgess show how vast is the advantage of one who is
able to say: *I have kept the Faith;' ' I know whom I have
trusted;' 'Let the winds blow and the floods descend, I have
built upon the Rock of Ages;' 'I shall never be confounded.'
Such was the spirit and the testimony of Bishop Burgess' Episco-
pate, and it is a beacon of light to New England. In the disor-
ganized and inharmonious religious condition of Maine, it is
already producing a blessed result. He found there an almost
universal ignorance of the Church, and the most discordant
views of the Gospel. He has left a deep impression on the
minds of thinking men in Maine, in favor of the system of which
he was a minister, and his successor will reap a glorious harvest
where he sowed in tears or labored only to prepare the soil. He
preached no speculative Christ, the Christ of mere humanity,
transfigured by men's fancies into the hero of social and civil
reformations ; neither was he of those who gather not with
Christ, and so scatter and reap nothing. But he had a sweet
confidence in the Master as Divine, and as able to direct all
faithful labor to a glorious end ; so that even in failing health,
and dying before his time, he enjoyed a blessed contentment, in
the belief that he had not labored in vain, but that all in the
Lord's way his apostolic work should bear its fruit, and that the
cross which was reared by Richard Weymouth, on the shore of
the Penobscot, before the Pilgrims came, was a sign and fore-
tokening of the ultimate religion of New England, and of the
triumph of that holy faith, from which New England never would
have declined, had the Pilgrims transmitted it to their children,
in the same apostolic institutions from which they received it ;
in that venerable Church which they sometimes called their dear
Mother, speaking of her like the exiles of Babylon, when they
wept to remember Zion.

What a legacy to the Church in America is such a character as
we have thus reviewed ; such a walk with God ; such an example
in the pastoral work of the priesthood and the Episcopate ! In
the survey of so many ignoble lives as are wasted around us, how
refreshing the contrast ! How often we observe a concentration

41 6 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

of time and talents upon the one sordid thought of gain, or in
some way upon self-aggrandizement ! How general is the spec-
tacle of gifts and energies all directed to the attainment of posi-
tion and reputation ! How widely the youthful activities of our
countrymen are absorbed in the ephemeral struggles and issues
of partisan politics ! How often are less selfish natures enlisted
in cold intellectual speculations and visionary schemes of human
progress ! How utterly disconnected with the development of
God's life in man's soul are the theories with which their fa-
vorite teachers amuse our countrymen ! How fearfully do their
chosen oracles exaggerate their estimate of things temporal, at
the expense of things eternal ! But from all these low pursuits,
and from all these arts of popularity, the life we are considering
was wholly withdrawn. It was sanctified to one glorious pur-
pose, and directed to the grand results which Revelation pro-
poses as the final cause of all things. Our beloved Bishop
believed in the mission of the Son of God to a sinful world ; he
knew the great secret, that nothing real can be done for man-
kind except in carrying on that mission in the appointed way.
Hence, even in failing health, and in view of a work incomplete
and falling far below his mark, there was about all his doings
and in all his conversation, a serenity and composure which
nothing but Faith can supply. This is the spirit of that Journal
of his closing life and ministry which has already been pub-
lished. How entirely it is free from the complaints of the vale-
tudinarian; how full of the pious breathings of one at peace
with God and man, and wholly contented with his lot ! Econo-
mizing every hour for some unselfish purpose, he passes from
isle to isle, upon those tropic seas, as an angel might range from
star to star in the blue deep of heaven, ever ready to mount up-
ward to the throne. No breeze from those fragrant shores ; no
morning or evening tint in their sunny skies; no variety of their
foliage; no glimpse of their shrouded dells; no view of their
aspiring mountains ; no gush of their rivulets ; no song of their
birds ; in short, nothing that meets his eye or ear fails to excite
his cheerful interest, or to awaken fresh thoughts of God's love
to all his creatures. Even the fish-market supplies him with
elevated reflections upon creative skill, as he regales his sight
with the prismatic hues, and marvellous varieties of the creatures
that stock the tropical waters. His vivid descriptions gave me
new ideas of the appropriateness of Solomon's imagery, in com-
paring the eyes of the Shulamite to the fish-pools of Bathrabbim.
So fine a poetic vein runs through all his contemplations of
nature ; he is never sentimental, but he is ever thoughtful and
devout, and he fully appreciates all inferior objects, in their re-
lations to the Creator. But after all it is man that fills his

BISHOP COXE'S COMMEMORATIVE SERMON. 4^7

heart, immortal man, vile where all else is beautiful, and bear-
ing deeper scars of the primal fall than anything else upon the
little planet of which he was created lord. Nor is it man, as
seen by the mere philanthropist, who limits his ideas of progress
by this world ; but now, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and
capable of such renewal by grace, even here, as restores much
of his original glory, and yet enables him to exclaim, by faith,
' It doth not yet appear what we shall be.' So went our Apostolic
Bishop, with his loving heart, amid those reefs of coral, seeking
the goodly pearls of human souls. He was not too ill to remem-
ber that the disease of sin is, after all, the only real malady, and
he felt that he could make even his search of health subservient to
his great work as a servant of the good Physician in seeking, like
him, and trying to save souls that are lost. If there be a condi-
tion of humanity apart from that of abject heathenism, which
more than others is without charm for the man of taste, I suppose
it is found in that of the unhappy race who have survived the
ravages of slavery, of insurrection, of revolutions, and of des-
potism, spiritual as well as temporal, in the Isle of St. Domingo.
Yet it was to these wretched men, reduced by false religion to
an apparent incapacity for the blessings of freedmen; it was to
these unlovely specimens of our kind that the loving heart of the
Bishop warmed so freshly ere it grew cold forever ; and to these
he devoted the last energies of a mind that could not rest from
its labors while anything was visible that he might do. To cast
some seeds of life upon the soil of Hayti ; to console and sup-
port its few laborers in the Lord's harvest; to awaken an inte-
rest here among us in behalf of that abode of common misery ;
this was a task to which he was yet, as he supposed, fully equal,
and in fulfilling it, it pleased God to allot the consummation of
his career. As a beacon-fire burns out on some forlorn coast,
but even in expiring invites the eye and av^akens the solicitude
of far-off watchers, so the bright light of the Bishop went out in
that distant horizon in order to turn our thoughts and anxieties
towards the objects of his latest labors of love.

When Henry Martyn expired at Tocat, like the morning-star
at sunrise, the orient glowed and fired upon the vision of the
west, and the returning day of the Eastern Churches began to
remind us of Christian brethren too long forgotten, and of duties
too long neglected.

When Bishop Heber was swept away, as by a translation, from
his apostolic work in India, ten thousand hearts were inspired
with his own enthusiasm for enthroning Christ on the ruins of
Brahminism ; and the Foreign Missions of England took a new
life and energy, as if a double portion of his spirit had been shed
down with the falling mantle of his Episcopate.
27

41 8 MEMOIR OF BISHOP BURGESS.

So it pleased God that our Burgess should die no common
death amid the stern duties of his immense diocese ; it was
ordered that his beloved name should be forever associated
with missions. Do I venture too far in thus interpreting a mys-
terious Providence? I think not. For if never before, yet now,
the unhappy Haytiens are commended to us as a people who
may be "made to ' walk in white. ' At the moment when the blacks
of our own country are thrown upon our Christian sympathies,
as a burden almost too heavy for us to bear, it has pleased God
to enlarge our work for Africa by adding this work, also, in
Hayti. It is to enlarge our faith, rather; to convince us that the
work is His ; that He can enable us, by increase of faith, to move
this mountain too. Five loaves and two fishes are not appre-
ciably less for ten millions than for four. The work is God's;
the glory is His only; but, it is His way first to move us to share
His own compassions. Then He does the miracles; and He can
feed Hayti and all Africa, too, in answer to our prayers and
feeble efforts, as easily as he can enable us to do something for
the South. Let us follow, then, where His Providence points,
and where Burgess has opened the way. ' Go, ye swift ships,
to a nation scattered and peeled.' So I read the parable of
that death upon the open deck, which the Lord gave to our
Bishop. Leighton wished to die at an inn as becomes a 'pil-
grim and a sojourner,' and so he did. Burgess fell asleep as a
pilgrim and a passenger too, but more like a missionary and an
apostle. It reminds me of a great worldly hero falling in naval
warfare, and calling on 'every man to do his duty;' but Bur-
gess died with his eyes fixed on no flag of earthly dominion; his
example rallies the faithful to the triumphs of the cross, and to
extend the peaceful conquests of the Lamb of God. Other con-
tests have empurpled the ocean; but his soldiership was that
which destroys not men's lives, but saves. His dying ambition
was to set Christ's dominion in the seas, and to see the isles sub-
jected to the sceptre of His love. I ask, therefore, that his
dying testimony may kindle a holy ardor for missions among
all who have felt his influence, or who may learn of it through
my words. Too long has Hayti borne the name and suffered
from the ferocious spirit of the inquisitors of St. Dominic ; but
surely that Aceldama may have a future less miserable, and we
may do much to give her a purer religion and to make her an
instrument for evangelizing Africa itself. Nor shall his beloved
Diocese of Maine be less blessed because she gave him to the
poor and miserable. Happy are the faithful there, and hai)py
shall be his successor, if only their own missionary work at home
shall always be mixed with his spirit of universal evangelization.
'Tis the paradox of grace, that to do much for ourselves we must

BISHOP COKE'S COMMEMORATIVE SERJMON. 419

devise liberal things for others; and deeply knowing and feeling
the wants of that easternmost Diocese of our Church, I pray Gocl
that as it is foremost in our geography, stretching out towards
other lands and continents, so it may be built up and magnified
itself, by perpetuating the spirit of its first Bishop ; the spirit, I
say, of world-wide evangelization. This is the glorious spirit of
the Son of God, and it ennobles and glorifies men just in pro-
portion as they share it. This is then the crowning glory of the
departed father in Christ, on some of whose qualities we have
dwelt in fond recollection ; and if so, the Master Himself shall
tell the rest, in that day when the faithful shall receive their
reward. Oh ! what a reward that shall be to see the Master
Himself and to lose sight of Him no more forever, entering into
the joy of the Lord."

DATE DUE

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